Sound based workshops and activities connecting people with nature
How about going outside to explore what’s going on with nature? How about adding an audio twist?
What sound adventures await? Maybe a geo-located sound walk, maybe a nature podcast, maybe the chance to try some field-recording, learn some digital editing skills, and find out a bit more about your local wildlife? Or maybe we just stop, take a moment, and listen to the world around us. Below are some examples of recent workshops and activities which have focussed on connecting people with nature through the creative use of sound.
Bird song walks and courses with enhanced listening
This activity is perfect for early spring into mid-summer when the birds are at their most vocal. We use a parabolic microphone (the big dish in the photo) and silent disco headphones for a super close listen to who is in the trees and the bushes. It’s a magical way to connect with your local birds and to start to learn their songs, or build on your existing knowledge. I run one-off sessions and longer courses with Nature Tripping partner and long -time bird watcher Cathy Shaw, catering for groups of up to eight. Longer courses involve sound walks outside combined with classroom discussion and listening to consolidate your identification skills.
“Thank you so much for the workshops. I feel like I’ve learnt something that I’ll carry for the rest of my life”
Field recording workshops and individual tuition
Interested in finding out more about field recording and having a go? Come on an introductory workshop (or individual session) for a mix of hands-on practical work using recording devices and a range of microphones, some all important information on audio fundamentals, and a chance to listen back and review recordings made. The aim is to enable you to leave the session ready to make your own high quality field recordings. Recent clients include Yorkshire Sound Women Network, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF) and Barnsley College.
Like glitch? Try an electromagnetic mic
Recording underwater using a hydrophone
“Very high quality workshop. Brilliant delivery, and very enjoyable experience.”
Wind protection - experiments with and without show it’s a vital consideration when recording outdoors
“Working with Jo was an absolute joy. She took all the worry out of the technical side of things and offered exactly the right balance of information and advice without overloading me.”
Middleton Primary School Noisy Nature Podcast
A summer school project running over four 4 hr sessions with a group of Year 4 - 6 children. First commissioned in 2021 and funded again in 2022.
2021: We kicked off our time together with a discussion about sound and honed our listening skills with a sound walk. Then we went exploring in the school grounds. Even though it’s urban Leeds and noisy with traffic we discovered tadpoles, butterflies, toadstools, a willow warbler, and empty birds’ eggs. We taste-tested plums and ate marshmallows on a campfire. All this sparked discussion on wildlife, and on important outdoor pursuits like climbing trees. With recording devices to hand, and headphones plugged in the children collated a great mixture of narrative, conversation and environmental sounds across the four sessions. Back in the classroom we listened and discussed and edited it all together to produce The Noisy Nature Podcast!
2022 followed a similar format but investigated a new range of wildlife and outdoor topics chosen by the children and the discoveries they made.
“This set of bespoke sessions by Jo were a fantastic experience for the children, with a nice mix of time outside exploring and recording, combined with classroom discussion and learning. The children loved the chance to use the audio equipment and create their own show and we’ll definitely be looking to invite Jo back next summer – she was friendly and fun, well organised, flexible in her approach, and pitched everything at the right level for the class.”
Sound Adventures - a six week ecologically-themed audio technology course, Feb- Mar 2021
This online course for girls and young people of marginalised genders was run in conjunction with Yorkshire Sound Women Network and Lawrence Batley Theatre. It was full-on and fun-packed, balancing theory with practical and creative activities. Participants listened to and discussed examples of ecological sound art, learnt about audio fundamentals, went out sound-walking and field recording on their mobile phones, and got to grips with digital editing (using the free DAW Audacity). All this culminated in publication of their own own environmentally themed geolocated sound walks on the Echoes app.
“… I just wanted to add my thanks and to say how thoroughly Meredith has enjoyed your fantastic Sound Adventures programme. She has been so full of excitement after each session and has just loved the introduction to some fabulous new tools and ideas. It has also been clear how well the programme has been structured and how you have carefully guided and supported the group”. [Catherine, participant’s parent]
