Lecture: Learning From Sound

Learning From Sound. This is an archived Zoom seminar that took place on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 with Canadian composer, radio artist, and teacher Hildegard Westerkamp and hosted by PRAKSIS - an arts and culture organisation based in Oslo, Norway. 

Soundscape: Whistle Language

Whistle Language. (10 mins) World traveler and video blogger Drew Pinsky visits Kuskov, a small village in the mountains of Turkey where all residents can speak a language made up of whistles. According to Binsky this whistle language was invented around 500 years ago by local farmers, who needed to communicate with their peers over the steep hills. Amazingly, the whistles can be heard up to 3 kilometers away!!

Research: The spotted Owl

Last Call: Tracking The Sound Of The Spotted Owl’s Extinction. (8:41): It’s been 30 years since the northern spotted owl gained endangered species protections in the old-growth forests of the Northwest United States. Scientists trying to save the owls have new bioacoustics technology and big data on their side. But less hope. Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting

Soundscape: Insects

 

Listening With Singing Insects. (17 mins), Hosted by WFAE President Eric Leonardson, this video introduces and invites people to explore the soundscapes of Chicago’s Big Marsh Park, with a focus on identifying the many species of singing insects heard each summer.

Soundwalk: Kolkata

Walking in Kolkata (1hr. 53min.) An amazing soundscape is experienced in this walk around Kolkata known historically in English as Calcutta, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly river, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India, while the Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port as well as its sole major riverine port. As of 2011, the city had 4.5 million residents; the urban agglomeration, which comprises the city and its suburbs, was home to approximately 14.1 million, making it the third-most populous metropolitan area in India

Soundwalk: Amsterdam

Visiting new places, or revisiting old ones, is an option during the Covid-19 pandemic. Virtual armchair travel can take you many places by the Internet. Here are three hour long soundwalks around Amsterdam. There is no narrative only the sound of the city as you wander around looking in store windows, watching boats on the waterways, overhearing conversations and enjoying a lot of people watching as there seems to be very little auto traffic. 

Walking in Amsterdam (1hr. 21min) 

https://youtu.be/E07rTPgIvn0 

The Ultimate Walk Amesterdam (1hr. 53min) 

https://youtu.be/dzEQSXyW8Mk 

Walking downtown Amsterdam (1hr. 11min) 

https://youtu.be/LiPPQkDLcSY

Source: YouTube

Education: Studying an Iowa soundscape

Studying Acoustic Ecology (8:19) "Many of the more popular sights of Iowa have an unmistakable landscape. But a full experience is about much more than the sight, there's also the sound. Acoustic Ecology, or "Field Recording," captures and studies these natural soundscapes to share, and at Iowa Lakeside Lab in Okoboji natural sounds are also closely studied." Source: Iowa Outdoors

Lecture: Better Sounding Planet

Sound Ecology: A Better Sounding Planet (15.54) Cedric Engels' mission in life is to make people aware of the power of sound and the impact on our society. If the sounds we produce aren’t better than silence, it’s noise. But it all starts with doing more than just hearing. This was a TEDxULB event.