2 minute read

Deadline

Due at the start of Week 2: 8 Sept.

Introduction

The purpose of this assignment is to sharpen your ability to listen critically and attentively to your everyday environment while acknowledging the impact of your listening position on your own perception. By cataloging a wide variety of sounds from a single listening position, you will begin to recognize qualities that normally escape notice.

This exercise develops perceptual awareness and prepares you for later projects in field recording, sound design, and electroacoustic musical creation.

Learning Objectives

By completing this assignment, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and describe diverse sound sources in their immediate and surrounding environment.
  2. Differentiate between sounds that are continuous, changing, or internally dynamic.
  3. Analyze sounds in terms of spatial location, size, and relation to other sounds.
  4. Recognize musical analogies in environmental sounds (rhythm, pitch, timbre, texture).
  5. Demonstrate active listening strategies that go beyond selective and automatic, everyday perception.

Assignment Instructions

  1. From a single listening position inside your home, sit quietly and observe the sounds around you. Concentrate hard, shifting your attention actively.
  2. Write down a detailed list of 25 sounds you hear, including each sound’s source (where you think it comes from) relative to your position.
  3. Pay close attention to the following:
    • Which sounds change over time?
    • Which sounds remain unchanging?
    • Which sounds have their own internal movement?
    • Do any sounds mimic musical elements (like chords, rhythms, melodies, instruments, or noise textures)?
    • Do any sounds seem to interact or work together?
    • Can you hear distant locations, or sounds from very large or very small places?
  4. The first 10 sounds will be easy to identify; the next 10 will be more challenging; the last 5 may seem almost impossible. Push yourself to perceive subtle differences (e.g., two cars passing, different vocal timbres, etc. What makes them distinct?).
  5. Submit your list on Lyceum via the given link by the deadline.

Why This Matters

The human brain filters out the majority of ambient sound to help us focus on the tasks at hand. By some measures, this amounts to more than 80% of the sound within our immediate environment! Training yourself to notice ignored sounds is fundamental for becoming a skilled sound artist, field recordist, or composer. This assignment is an exercise in shifting your perception and expanding auditory awareness.

Evaluation Criteria

Your work will be assessed on the following:

  • Completeness (20%) — A full list of 25 sounds submitted by the deadline.
  • Detail & Specificity (30%) — Each sound clearly described with identifiable qualities or sources.
  • Perceptual Depth (30%) — Evidence of close listening and differentiation (e.g., subtle contrasts, spatial awareness).
  • Engagement with Prompts (20%) — Notes reflect consideration of questions about change, movement, musical analogies, or interaction.