Sound adds an extra dimension to the classroom.The BBC World Service has started a SAVE OUR SOUNDS world map which aims to collect some further sounds from around the world. Some good ones there to begin with for your aural explorations...
Another tip off from Twitter...
Comments
A less ambitious project is London Sound Survey:
http://www.soundsurvey.org.uk
It has around 230 recordings made in London, organised into maps and into functional categories, as well historical references to London sounds from authors like Samuel Pepys, Thackeray, Dickens and Orwell.
London Sound Survey uses Creative Commons licensing, as do other online sound databases like the Freesound Project. That's the way forward, in my opinion.
Thanks very much for pointing out the London Sound Survey, which I hadn't been aware of, and which is probably more impressive than the BBC project given the Creative Commons aspect but also the geo-located samples which are a superb idea (and which I could see being adapted by schools for their own local urban areas...)
I love the graphical sound map as well...
This will need to have a blog post of its own.
Keep up the good work and thanks for the interest in Living Geography....
Best wishes
Ian
Recently been exploring alternative fieldwork activities for students to undertake, and been listening to a lot of Chris Watson work...
Goes with the idea of collecting images that is quite common. Could connect sounds with places e.g. Soundtransit website which I have used for some time...
Images with sounds is an idea worth exploring.
Martin Paling (martinpaling.com) uses sequences of still images to go with some of his field recordings. It gives a nice effect, reminiscent of what used to be called 'lyric documentaries'.
Ian
I wasn't familiar with Martin Paling's work, but am now...
Geography can literally be taken to mean "writing the earth" and I am always looking for alternative narratives, whether it's poetry in the mouths of virtual avatars, or stories in relation to journeys...
That thunderstorm should be enough to start all sorts of stories going...
http://www.freesound.org/index.php
Listen online or register to be able to download sound files...