Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

2/23/2024, 10:17 PM ET, Hempstead Turnpike/California Avenue

The sound furthest away from me is the rumble of cars much further down the road, just loud enough to be noticeable, getting louder as they come towards the red light.

A sound a bit closer to me is the incessant chirping of the birds that sit in the trees and on the powerlines en masse above California Avenue. It’s a fast, high-pitched trilling that verges on being scary.

The sound closest to me is that of a car passing by about 2 feet to my right. It’s a quiet car, not one with a loud engine, so most of the sound comes from the soft rumble of its tires on the ground and the woosh of the wind as it passes me.

The sound level isn’t extremely loud, there not being many cars at this very moment while the cars going straight on the highway have the red light.

The word I would use to describe the sound environment is puttering.

Three sounds essential to the sound environment are the sound of a car braking, the high-pitched screech of a bird, and wind wooshing.

1. Location: 3/28/19, 3:30pm, Bench next to California Ave, outside Philips Hall
2. Farthest sounds: car horns beeping, people walking down California Ave
3. Medium sounds: cars driving by, sound of brakes, garbage truck driving by, wind blowing, birds chirping
4. Closest sounds: trees rustling behind me, people talking as they talk by, a woman on the phone
5. Sound level is high
6. One word description: commute
7. Three essential sounds: cars driving, tress rustling, people talking/walking

Location and Date: Crossing California Avenue, around 11:00am on March 1st

Sounds Heard: Beeping of a construction truck, my own footsteps on the concrete, cars screeching to a stop or simply driving by, the doors of Monroe opening and people starting to talk

California Avenue, near Gallon Wing
Sounds of the car door opening and closing are heard while the wind blows. A truck then zooms by, followed by me walking near Gallon Wing as I zip up my jacket.