Reconnecting with the Sounds Around Us

This week, the assigned media all stressed the importance of listening to the our surroundings and heightening our aural sensitivity to the world around us. Our world has become thick with artificial sounds from our vehicles, electronics and devices, such as the computer I'm typing this post on. It was interesting how many sounds I became aware of when I took a moment to pause and listen. I could hear a dog barking in another apartment, the sounds of the cars and their music radiating from the parking lot, and the hum from the overhead lights and the refrigerator. Those were among the few that I could place at the time, and now, I have a yearning to explore more sounds that occur in nature, away from the buzzing of the concrete jungle. I look forward to a time where I can make such a trip, perhaps to the mountains, where I can observe more and increase my awareness. I also very much appreciated the story of Justin Boyd and his fascination with recording sounds and experimenting with them. It was cool to see how someone could find such a passion out of something so seemingly ordinary.