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- DATE-TIME-LOCATION of the sound environment
>Friday, February 7th
>2:30 A.M.
>Study Lounge, 6th floor of Nassau Residence Building

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.
>Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal playing all the way down the hall.
>A first responder’s siren lightly pulsing a few blocks aWay.
>Footsteps approaching from down the hall.
>Trash being thrown away down the hall. It contain glass. I hope they recycle.

3- Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you.
>The couple making out in the room next to me.
>A very bass-filled male voice vibrating the wall.
>A t.v. playing in the room next to me.

4- Identify and list the sounds closest to you (You can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).
>The heating unit that clanks and chinks every 23 seconds.
>The buzz of the light that seems to overpower everything.
>The cracking of my big toe.
>The sound of the couple hitting against the wall behind me as they make out.

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.
>Sound level is at a filling dull roar.
>Sound activity can best be described as casual and lightly paced.

6- Assign a one word description to the “sound environment”.
>Alive

7- Select and list 3 sounds which are essential to the sound environment.
>The heating unit.
>The couple hitting against the wall
>The muffled television.