Soundwalk revision 3

Each of my locations provided a different sound.  Starting off in the library was a little difficult because I was honestly just sitting there trying to take in my surroundings so that I wasn't making any scripted sound of myself.  I really wanted to focus on the sounds around me so I tried to stay still.  Once I left the library, I wanted to listeners to get the feeling of walking so I was recording my footsteps on the way to the junker center.  Then, once I reached the building, there are sounds of the doors opening and people talking to provide the scene of people in the area.  The junker center is almost always busy so I was glad to capture the chatter and bustle of people moving around.  Once inside at the volleyball game, all of the familiar sounds I am used to, I wanted to capture.  Being a volleyball player myself, I wanted my listeners to feel what I feel when I walk into the gym every day for practice.  The whistles and girls cheering once points were scored were what I wanted to capture the most.  I am glad that my project provided a story that was able to be told without narration or any form of words with it.  It was truly a story of sound.

Final project -- documentary

For the final project, I decided to make a documentary on the history and evolution of Rap music.  I took the time to research how rap began as well as interviewing a fellow student who writes and records his own music.  Rap has a rich background and I was able to find an interview conducted with Eminem, Marshal Mathers, on how he became inspired to begin rapping.  His well known movie 8 Mile had scenes with rap battles.  Rap battles were one of the very beginnings of rap where artists would use verbal abuse through rhyme to compete against opponents.  With Steve's interview as well as a lot of research, I was able to make a documentary based on how this genre of music has really evolved.  There are so many different types of rap and it was fun to go through how it started as well as seeing how it is made today. I really liked putting this piece together and recording my voice reciting the background of rap.

<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F30349750%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-gtbZZ&secret_url=true"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F30349750%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-gtbZZ&secret_url=true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object>  <span>Documentary final by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/clm5507">clm5507</a></span> 

Soundwalk 2

After listening to my final of the soundwalk, I found that there were some changes to be made.  I needed some more natural sounds of the library to really indicate I was there.  Prior to this my sounds in the library sounded like nothing more than a computer lab with a stapler being using multiple times.  I needed to catch the essence of the quietness of the library to really give my listeners a feel for what it was like.  Some people chose to narrate their story but I chose to keep it merely on sounds.  The most fun part was seeing if other people could generate the story out of what I was recording.  It took time but it was simply a fun project that gave me the opportunity to sit back and just enjoy my surroundings.

Soundslides

Soundslides was a very fun program to use.  I had the inspiration of a friend, Holly Kennedy, who had dealt with a very difficult situation.  She lost her father over the summer.  I wanted to take the time to really show my inspiration in her for dealing with it in ways I could not even imagine.  She continues to go to school and participate in things she normally would.  I wanted her to see that I look up to her for her courage and strength to push herself through this.  Her father died of a brain anurism and I could not imagine the pain she was suffering.  Through a series of pictures and my narrating, I described the things that Holly does to keep herself occupied as well as when she feels at her worst.  I conducted an interview with her to get insight on how she was really dealing with the situation.  It is incredible to be able to keep a smile on your face through adversity.  I feel as though if she can get through this, she can manage anything that comes her way.  I really liked the fact that I was able to be powerful to reach my viewers.  It was fun to play around with the pictures to get an order that described a typical day for Holly.  The music was essential to keep the viewer intrigued as well as set an emotional tone for the piece.  Holly Kennedy is a strong young woman who I find very inspirational.

http://youtu.be/LTkN-x4Gxls

Soundwalk

The soundwalk was very interesting to do.  I used the sounds around me to create a story that did not have words.  My story took place first at the library then walking over to the Junker Center where I recorded a volleyball game going on.  My listeners had the sense that they were there based on the sounds they were hearing.  I wanted them to know what a semi-typical day was like for me.  I use the library for work then I would head over to Junker to play volleyball.  This story without words was difficult yet fun to do.  I got to spend time just relaxing to really capture the essence of the area around me.  I liked that I did not have to record my own voice to explain what was going on.  The story told itself within the sounds and I hope my listeners got a sense of what it would be like to walk in my shoes for a day.

Child story

I chose to read "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for my story for the project.  I had a lot of fun reading this story and I really got into acting like I was reading it to children.  Evergy was needed for this book and voice change was necesary due to the fact that the Grinch is a mean old creature who hates Christmas.  Being loud and energetic is something I can produce well with my voice.  Christmas is my favorite time of the year and the Grinch is my favorite story.  I got to experiment on speaking loud and just having fun.  Even when I would read to students who I taught to preschool kids two years ago, I would get into character and have fun to keep their attention. Even though I did not have children sitting in front of me when I read this, I still felt as though I needed to be fun and happy while reading so that I would insinuate keeping the attention of my audience without boring or losing them to something else.  It is important to enunciate and speak somewhat slowly because Dr. Seuss is very big on rhyming.  With this, is books are not always easy to read let alone behind a microphone.  So it was a challenge yet exciting to do so.

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Poems

Monotone voice can be very boring.  Yet sometimes, it's what's needed to set the tone and feeling of a piece.  When I read the poem "The Road Not Travelled" by Robert Frost, I did it in two different tones.  One of cheerfuless and enthusiasm and one of  monotone.  This poem is not something of exciting words or a happy story line.  It is a calm poem that is about solitude and should be read in a slow paced tone.  Go figure that the one I recorded in monotone was the one that worked the best with this piece! The one with excitment in my voice just didn't sound right due to the way this poem is written.  Frost wants you to really think about the path that is away from what everyone else has taken.  Solitude is lonely and quiet and he is deciding which path is best for him.  I believe that I keep the attention more when my voice is monotone but this will not work for everything.  It can lose the attention of your listeners and cause them to tune out what you are saying.  I think that I produce this piece well with the monotone voice.  I had fun with this piece because I could express excitement when not needed and then I could express my true feelings in the way I read the poem.

http://soundcloud.com/clm5507/magnusen-voice-2-frost-poem

http://soundcloud.com/clm5507/magnusen-voice-1-frost-poem/s-In5td