Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

Date: April 30th, 2022

Location and Time: Blackbox Theater, 10:30am

Far Sounds: Door to the scene shop creaking, someone walking around backstage, audience platform creaking, AC going

Medium Sounds: Someone getting up from their chair, Tom typing on his computer, George walking down the stairs, someone walking across the audience platform, Ashley walking around on stage, moving lights moving to light up the tree

Close Sounds: Rych asking Mystery if lighting is okay, Royston talking to Mystery, the shaking of the platform, sounds playing in the speakers

Sound Description/Level: Chaotic, loud

One Word Description: Chaos

Most Important Sounds: AC blowing, the shaking of the audience platforms, door to the scene shop

Date: April 16th, 2022

Location and Time: Northern State Parkway, 6:27am

Far Sounds: Truck honking in the distance, distant engine revving, trees blowing in the wind, ambulance siren going

Medium Sounds: Blinker going, back of the car shaking, truck driving by, train horn honking

Close Sounds: “Fantasy” by Mariah Carey playing quietly, my car engine revving, the car going over bumps, car coming to screeching stop in front of me

Sound Description/Level: busy, morning rush

One Word Description: Rushing

Most Important Sounds: blinker, “Fantasy”, car coming to a screeching stop

1. April 28th- 4:44pm-The LIRR Heading into New York City 
2. Sounds farthest from me are that of the door opening and the wind bustling in from the outside only to slam shut and click into place very quickly. Another faraway sound is the punching of tickets as the conductor makes their way through the aisles. 
3. The medium sounds that are at a medium distance away in volume and not necessarily physical distance are the screeching of the rails as the train breaks when approaching a station, as well as just the general thudding sounds the train makes as it travels across the tracks. 
4. Closest sounds are the announcements that come on when reach every new station, and the snoring of the person across from me. 
5. It feels like normally when someone rides a train they are preoccupied with whatever activities they are doing or whatever conversations they are having they might not notice the level of sound activity going on. However, there is actually quite a lot of sound that takes place- from a lot of different directions and sources. 
6. One word: routine. This is a sound environment a lot of people experience as their normal routine whether its for recreational travel or a workday 
7. The clicking of the ticket puncher definitely needs to be maintained, as well as the screeching of the breaks on the steel tracks. Another sound would be the announcements that air pretty much for the entire ride. These all work together to ensure the authentic sound environment of the LIRR. 

Date: April 29th

Time:   3:49pm

Location: Student Center Starbucks

Far Sounds: Distant conversations, chairs scraping the floor

Medium Sounds: Baristas mixing drinks, oven timer going off

Close Sounds: Baristas calling out people’s orders, typing, music playing over loudspeakers

Sound Description/Level: Average, like you’d find in any coffeeshop

One Word: Retail

Most Important Sounds: Oven timers, baristas calling out orders, music over loud speakers

Date: April 15th

Time:  10:54 pm

Location: Downstairs living room of my house

Far Sounds: Joey and Ben laughing and talking upstairs, thudding from upstairs

Medium Sounds: Avery’s friend on the phone, rain, the washing machine

Close Sounds: Avery talking to her friend on the phone

Sound Description/Level: Low level, fairly quiet and casual

One Word: Gentle

Most Important Sounds: Avery talking on the phone and her friend responding, the rain, and washing machine

Date: April 18th

Time:  2:15pm

Location: The Psibrary

Far Sounds: Doors opening and closing, distant conversations

Medium Sounds: Footsteps in the hallway

Close Sounds: People talking, chairs rolling across the rug, people eating/chewing

Sound Description/Level: Loud, very academic

One Word: Busy

Most Important Sounds: People talking, eating/chewing, doors opening and closing

Date: April 17th

Time:  4:35 pm

Location: my backyard

Far Sounds: squirrels chasing each other, talking from our neighbors backyard, leaves crunching

Medium Sounds: cars on the turnpike, a plane flying above

Close Sounds: my dad talking on the phone, trees rustling in the wind,

Sound Description/Level:  It sounds like the end of a long day, very calming

One Word: draining

Most Important Sounds: trees in the wind, phone call, plane flying

April 15th 2022

Eve Journal 4 

DATE: 04/15/2022

TIME: 4:02 pm 

LOCATION of the sound environment: Calkins Quad/ Pilates class

• Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Cars wheels, parking, etc.

People chatting or screaming.

Other professors talking in their classes outside (they were really far away)

• Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you. 

Drums playing from another dance class that was being done outside.

Birds doing some noises.

Mosquitoes buzzing

• Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).

Professor guiding us through the pilates class.

Pilates Music on the background for the class.

Some of my peers laughing

The wind

Sound of leaves and trees moving

• Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

The level and activity of sound was busy and varied

• Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”.

Full

• Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. 

• People laughing
• The wind blowing
• Sound of leaves and trees moving
• All of these make the place be relaxing

1. 04/14/2022-2:30pm- On a bench outside of Calkins Hall. 
2. Farthest Sounds: laughs from people sitting on the quad, traffic from cars on the nearby road 
3. Medium Sounds: the crunching of soil as a Hofstra Plant worker shovels into the ground, birds chirping in the trees above the bench. 
4. Closest Sounds: loud slamming of tap shoes hitting the floor from the opened window of a classroom in Calkins right above the bench, the flipping of pages in the notebook on my lap as a breeze comes through. 
5. There is a fair amount of sound activity, but it is really spaced out making it seem quiet or as if there is not that much occurring. 
6. One Word: Melodic 
7. The sound of the tap dancing is absolutely needed to maintain this environment, ever since doing musical theatre in high school I have always found the sound of tap shoes hitting the floor to be a pleasant sound thus the choice to pick melodic. The birds chirping and distant laughing also contributes. Being outside and seeing others outside enjoying the warm weather really indicated that we are in a new season. It felt very soothing to be outside and away from just sitting in a classroom, and it felt good to see others enjoying this time as well.