Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

1. 2/21/23, 4:00 pm, Emily Lowe
2. the heater in 216
3. someone working at the desk behind me
4. music playing in my headphones (Teach Me To Fight – YONAKA) and two solar monkeys clicking on the window sill
5. the sound level is low
6. calm
7. music, air, clicking, shuffling

1. 02/21/2024 – 4:28pm – My House.
2. Farthest Sounds: the cars on the turnpike, occasional honking, a very faint police siren.
3. Medium Range Sounds: somebody doing lawn work next door, cars driving by, birds chirping, occasional indiscernible talking.
4. Closest Sounds: one of my housemates’ playing videos on their phone, one of my housemates cooking in the kitchen, the buzz of our security system, the occasional readjusting of blankets or pillows on the couch that I’m sitting on.
5. I would describe the general sound level as quiet and static, and the general sound activity as frequent but unpredictable.
6. Description: cozy.
7. Essential Sounds: cars, cooking, and phone videos.

2/9/2024, 7:03 PM ET, My dorm room

The farthest sound from me is the dull sound of cars speeding by on the road close to my dorm. It’s a dull roaring sound that starts just loud enough to be noticeable and fades quickly as they get further away.

A bit closer to me is the loud rumble of my air conditioning system that turned on a few seconds before I started typing. It’s the loudest thing in my room, incessant and powerful.

The closest sound to me is the Sims idling music, a happy little tune playing from my computer while it waits for me to return my attention to it.

The sound level, in general, is a relative quiet, only broken by the air conditioner when she decides my room is not yet cold enough. As I type currently, the sound of my dorm is peaceful and relaxed.

The word I would use to describe it would be calm.

Important sounds: the hum of my computer as she works oh so hard, the dull, heavy rattling of a truck passing by, and the click the air conditioner makes to signal she’s turning on.

Date: 2/9 6:51, my upstairs living room

Farthest away from me: My downstairs housemates talking in their kitchen

Medium range: My refrigerator humming in the kitchen and my upstairs housemate’s desk chair creaking a few times per minute 

Closest to me: My keyboard clacking as I type and my occasional sniffling. My other housemate typing on her phone and clearing her throat 

The sound level is very quiet. My other 2 housemates are out of the house and everyone is sort of decompressing from the day on their own in different parts of the house. 

One word: Mundane 

3 essential sounds: Chatter of the downstairs housemates, the fridge, and my housemate’s nails as she types her phone. 

Journal Entry 1

1. 2/8, 6:26PM, my living room
2. Farthest away from me: the sound of the refrigerator running, footsteps in the hallway
3. Medium range: My housemate sniffling and pouring her drink
4. Closest to me: The sound of the fan in my laptop, my keyboard as I type, and the sound of my own breathing
5. It’s generally very quiet – everyone just got home from class and we’re passing around my phone putting in our Doordash orders so no one is really making much noise
6. One word: comfortable
7. 3 essential sounds: the sound of my breath, the footsteps, the refrigerator. These sounds together represent the idea of comfortable silence for me.

February 8, 2024. 1:20. My Backyard.
The sounds that are furthest away from me: Truck beeping, distant cars, a plane.
The sounds that are a medium distance from me: Neighbors footsteps, squirrels shuffling in the trees, occasional car on my street.
The sounds that are closest to me: Birds, music coming from my computer (Sugar Magnolia- Grateful Dead).
The sound level of the space: Low. A lot of different quiet sounds.
One word description: Peaceful
Three sounds that are most important to the environment: Birds chirping, wind in the trees, hum of planes from nearby airport.

1. 02/07/2024 – 8:30pm – Emily Lowe Hall.
2. Sounds farthest away from me: people walking around upstairs, laughing, the occasional toilet flush and sink.
3. Sounds at medium range: slow contemporary music playing, dancing and feet moving, quiet applause.
4. Sounds closest to me: people talking, papers rustling, pens clicking and writing.
5. The general sound level is average but close to loud and the amount of sound activity is constant.
6. Description word: chaotic.
7. Essential sounds: constant talking, dancing, and faint music.

1. 2/7/2024, 1:50 pm, Emily Lowe
2. people entering and exiting Lowe
3. other people talking in the Drounge
4. Emma talking to me
5. a lot of sounds, but they’re all at more medium volumes
6. alive
7. the door to Lowe, footsteps walking by, people talking

2/7/24 – 1:30PM – My dorm

Sounds farthest from me: My suitemates talking in the other room, my suitemate opening the fridge, someone unlocking and opening their door down the hall.

Sounds at a medium range from me: The heater, my fan next to my bed, my roommate walking into my room and grabbing something from her desk.

Closest to me: the music playing from my phone, me typing on my computer, my foot tapping the floor.

Sound level: The sound level is relatively low, since there are only three of us home. My music is louder than the rest of the sounds in my dorm – so that specific sound level is higher.

Sound activity: There is a small amount of sound activity because there are only three of us. The TV and other appliances aren’t on, and my suitemates are having a relatively quiet conversation.

One work description for the sound environment: Familiar

Three sounds that are essential to the sound environment: My roommates talking, my fan, and the sound of my keyboard

1. February 7, 2024. 11:30 am. Bits and Bytes.
2. The sounds that are furthest away from me: the sound of cooking in the kitchen, fridges opening and closing, the workers behind the food counters talking to each other
3. The sounds that are a medium distance from me: the hum of the fridges, the women who work at the check out area talking to each other and other students, the chatter of the students eating lunch in this space
4. The sounds that are closest to me: my friend tapping on his computer, the video he is watching, the tapping of my own keyboard.
5. The sound level of the space is medium-to-low, with an occasional louder noise. The sound activity is high, as there are many people in this space doing their own individual things.
6. One word description: casual
7. Three sounds that are integral to the environment: the fridges humming, the employees speaking Spanish casually to each other, and the happy chatter from other students.