Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

Date: 4/27 at 7:28 PM

Location: table on the quad outside Roosevelt Hall

Far Sounds: laughing, door opening and shutting across the quad, mourning dove cooing, cars driving by on nearby streets.

Medium Sounds: more mourning doves responding, outdoor AC units/fans, two birds fighting (wings flapping, chirping), loud car honk.

Close Sounds: two people walking by (footsteps, talking), chewing, leaves rustling, squirrels climbing the tree overhead.

Sound Description/Level: the AC units gave the sound on the quad a mechanical quality that would otherwise be absent in that setting. The bird calls were plentiful and coming from all directions, which gave it an almost fantastical feeling.

One Word: ethereal

Most Important Sounds: mourning doves cooing, birds fighting, rustling leaves

Location: Hofstra University, just outside Emily Lowe Hall

Sounds Heard: the Hofstra shuttle breaking then passing by, the Hofstra gardeners raking the leaves

1. March 11th- 6:00PM-Outside of Axinn Library 
2. Far Sounds~  Clanking as the wind whips and makes the flag hit the flag pole, thudding of footsteps as people are walking off of the Unispan, wind whistling 
3. Medium Sounds~ Chirping of birds in trees and the scratching/scuttling of squirrels running up trees and their branches. 
4. Close Sounds~ Rustling of leaves from the tree I am sitting directly under, the labored breathing of the person next to me as they experience a cold chill from the wind in question. 
5. There seems to be a lot of sound activity happening but the level it is being produced is very soft and would be considered background noise that goes unnoticed during the regular day. 
6. Serene
7. Chirping of the birds, the rustling of the leaves, the slight whistle of the wind-  these three sounds I would say are essential to keeping the sound environment in tact. They all represent sounds in nature, furthermore a representation of how serene nature can be if we stopped to listen. 

My Backyard, Centereach
At the beginning of the clip, sounds of me opening the gate to the backyard as well as it shutting can be heard. The sounds of leaves and twigs crunching and rustling underneath my feet can be heard along with the wind blowing. A faint motor of some sort from a neighboring yard is also heard in the background.

1- 2/17/13 – 1:09 AM – On bench in front of Hofstra Hall
2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you. – Furthest away from me I can hear the occasional and very faint tone of a car passing by on the Turnpike. Every noise is quick and is a fast swoosh past the University due to the Doppler effect of where I was sitting in relation to the cars that were zooming past. A little bit closer but still pretty far from me on the other side of me I can hear the noises of the few maintenance guys working on the building behind me. They are generating a series of clicking and clanging noises as they move equipment from their car to the building
3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you. – A little closer than these noises I can hear the flags on the flag pole whipping in the wind and cracking like a whip with every large gust of wind. Whenever the wind dies down the tension on the cable was released and the clip on the flag would briefly clang into the pole just before another large gust came and pulled the flag away again. To the left of me I can hear the distinct noise of the two posters hung on the light posts clinging onto the pole for dear life. The paper was whipping so hard I thought it could rip off at any moment. 
4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant). – Closest to me I can hear a few dry leaves scootch across the concrete and create a very distinct noise i associate with late fall. Just behind me I can hear needles of the evergreen trees cling create friction with the wind sailing around them. Against my ears I can hear the whistle as the wind goes through the fibers of my hat- effectively muting almost every noise I have listed above. 
5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity. – All around me the noises are very intense and there is a plethora of noises around me mostly being influenced by the wind that is whipping through the air. The interesting thing is that the noise of the wind through my hat is that it lessens the intensity of every noise around me. 
6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”. –  Exposed
7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact. – Wind in my ears, Flag pole, leaves scootching