Hofstra Drama 20 – Sound for the Theatre

Location: Adams Playhouse, Hofstra University 

Sounds heard: French horn, marimba, air conditioning running, musicians playing, pieces of equipment slamming against each other. 

Date/Time/Location: April 26th, 3:09PM, ITS Service Desk offices.  

Furthest: Distant cars and trucks racing on Hempstead Turnpike, birds chirping. 

Medium: Boss yelling in outrage about technology, coworker writing with pen on paper, clothing shifting, chair squeaking slightly. 

Closest: Hum of desktop computers, my chair spinning, keyboard clicking, phone buzzing from notifications. 

Sound level is pretty null, as the office itself is mostly quiet with some very minute sounds from the machines and people here and there. My boss raising his voice outside and the cars zooming by are the only things that disrupt this peace. The amount of sound activity lies in a small range despite these interruptions in sound. 

One Word Description: Uneasy. 

Essential Sounds: 

1. Boss yelling 
2. Chair squeaking 
3. Cars zooming nearby

Location: Outside Axinn Library 

Sounds heard: People talking quietly, laughing, footsteps on concrete, crows cawing, various types of birds chirping and singing, wind, cars driving by on Hempstead Turnpike.

April 12th, 5:34pm, Hofstra Pride Park.  

Furthest: Distant cars on Hempstead Turnpike, tree branches/leaves swaying in the wind. 

Medium: Birds chirping/singing, car doors slamming, car motor very loudly speeding down the road, people holding conversations. 

Closest: Me breathing, moving my feet in the grass. 

Sound level is extremely varied, ranging from distant and peaceful sounds of bird calls to very loud, souped up cars. Amount of sound activity is at a medium range. It’s not too quiet but not too loud all the time which cuts it down to a “medium”. 

One Word Description: Animated.

Essential Sounds: 

1. Birds chirping 
2. Cars moving 
3. People talking

Location: Bill of Rights, Floor 10 lounge 

Sounds heard: TV announcements, coughs, clapping, talking in unison and overlapping over each other, bodies shuffling.

1- DATE-TIME-LOCATION of the sound environment

April 2nd, 12:24pm, Hofstra’s Student Center. 

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Furthest: Footsteps, talking between people, kitchen materials clanging from inside the food hub, beeps from the register, plastic utensils flying out of the dispensary. 

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

Medium: Closer conversations droning in and out, Starbucks orders being called out, people swiping cards, footsteps walking next to my table. 

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

Closest: Friends at my table talking, plastic utensils hitting plastic dishes, chewing, laughing, chairs scraping against the tile floor. 

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

Sound level is generally very loud with a few moments where the volume lulls. There is large amount of sound activity as people are bustling in and out of the building, making food orders and being social amongst themselves. 

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

One Word Description: Bustling. 

7- Essential Sounds: 

1. Multiple conversations happening at the same time
2. Chairs scraping on tile floor 
3. Footsteps

Location: The Quad, between ABP and Roosevelt Hall.

Sounds heard: High hum from machinery, rustling of dry leaves, harsh and soft winds, distant cars, rubbing of

fabric.

March 6th, 4:26PM, Shapiro Family Hall lobby.

Furthest: Heating system humming, very distant talking, echoes from the piano. 

Medium: Footsteps walking towards outside, piano playing melodically.  

Closest: Students talking, the double glass doors closing, fabric from my clothing moving. 

Sound level varies extremely as the people who pass me talk loudly and their footsteps ring, contrasting with the light piano tunes and the echoing. The amount of sound activity is spirited as there is a strong contrast between low tones and high.

One Word Description: Spirited

Essential Sounds: 

1. Piano playing melodically 
2. Students talking 
3. Footsteps

Location: Hofstra’s Unispan

Sounds: Clothing rubbing together, distant and closer cars moving, engines sputtering, footsteps, light key jingling.

1- DATE-TIME-LOCATION of the sound environment

— Sit, close eyes and allow the sounds around you to envelope you, listen for all of the sound in your environment.

February 22nd, 11:57AM, Emily Lowe Hall room 216.

2- Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

Furthest: David Henderson talking aloud (teaching), chairs squeaking and clinking against metal parts.

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

Medium: Heater exerting a mid-range hum, students whispering, mice clicking, students typing on computers. 

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

Closest: My own breathing, swallowing, student behind me sniffling.  

5- Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

Sound level is varied with one vocal booming sound accompanied by many smaller sounds of technology (clicking, typing, etc.) The amount of sound activity comes in waves, when David stops talking the room is mostly silent. Otherwise his voice takes up the most space. 

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

One Word Description: Lethargic 

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.

Essential Sounds: 

1. David’s teaching voice
2. Heater hum 
3. Mice/computer clicking and typing