11/02/2021
A few years ago my daughter had a music class and one of the assignments was to go on a Sound Walk, which is going on a walk and listening intently to the sounds in your environment.
I was her walking buddy that day, and it was incredible. Usually when I walk I tend to do a few things: think, talk, problem solve, and plan. It is very mission-oriented, with a kind of a go, go, go feeling.
But this walk was different, it was so rejuvenating and beautiful. We picked up the sounds around us: birds singing in all different pitches and tones, the crunching of the leaves under our feet, the flow of the river rushing by, and the humming of the cars on the highway miles away. They all contributed to this song that was being played. It was fun to listen to all of the different layers of sound that I would have never noticed before everything seemed more alive.
I was thinking about this in relation to life, how often we are in our heads with the go, go, go of it all, and how interesting it is when we slow down and really listen with intent. Creating curiosity of what we hear around us may show us a new type of connection to the beauty of our lives.
I invite you to take yourself on a SoundWalk, it could be a walk in the park, or even just walking through your home. Listen with intent and without a critique, just listen.
What do you hear? Maybe you will notice a symphony of nature or the voices of all the people you love, and could even be the humming of your daily life like the dryer warming your clothes ( that is what I hear right now).
Just listen and find the song in all of it.
Here is a link to SoundWalking.
Have fun and I would love to hear about your experiences!
a listening exercise that helps us become awareof our immediate acoustic environment.It is also about the aesthetic pleasures of listening.Listening to sounds we might otherwise have missed;listening to the rhythm of sounds;listening for the unique 'voice' of a city.It's about enjoying the sensual b...