When initially delving into musical studies, music is explained in mathematical terms. There It is one of the few things that sprouting musicians can wrap their little minds around. For me the hardest of music was never playing the instrument, but rather deciphering key signature and how the notes fit into the texture of the piece. But music isn’t all in the notes on the page. It is the sounds that come as a result. Thus all sounds in a sense bear a musical quality. However, as Murray Schafer argues in “Open Ears”, although we lack ear lids, it doesn’t mean we hear every sound. The first step to give these sound musical qualities is to hear them.

Since I do not have any classes before 11, there is rarely ever a need to set an alarm, as I will wake up naturally. Or would be the case, if my roommates would allow it. Somehow they both mange to slam the door every time the leave the room. Although I find this incredibly annoying, it does bear certain rhythmic quality, as the door can only slam as fast as the hinges allow it. The second sound is the sound of my morning shower, wake up number two.  I find water to be one the most soothing musical essences on the plant. Although I have never been able to fall asleep to it, I can certainly see why. After that it is off to the Grundle for breakfast, though there is nothing discerning it from another time of day. The clattering of silverware, shuffling of feet, and overlapping conversations make it impossible to discern one sound from another so that it all just meshes together into to one wave of noise. Incomprehensible sounds such as this do have certain musical qualities to them, as utilized in songs such as “Kids” by MGMT. The fourth sound in the recording is my bike, the cranking of my chain through the gears, around and around in the one direction that will propel me forward. Sometimes I ride just for the sake of it, with no destination or purpose in mind. This is music in itself.

The next two sounds, I will admit, are actually associated with music. The first a series of breathing exercises designed to fill up the diaphragm, then fill up the excess lung space in the chest, to finally release it all in one moment. The next is a clip of me playing a piece from a seating placement several years ago. Although I did terrible in the audition, I still enjoy the piece, as it portrays both the technical ability and range of the player’s ability. As a tuba player, particularly in pep and marching bands, we are there to grove. Just as Shelley Trower in “Hearing Vibrations” uses the example of reacting to the vibrations felt throughout the body, tuba players naturally react based upon the vibrations of the ensemble. In the end it does not matter whether we play exactly the right note as long as we play at the right moment.

This next sound in the podcast is the only one I would associate with being school related. It is the sound of my pencil scratching in my notebook and the occasional shuffle of pages. Clicking my pencil,  I scratch as a way for stimulation, sometimes even intentionally doing so in some sort of rhythmic form. The next sound is again directly musical related, as it is me playing the fiddle (terribly, I might add). This was a project that I picked up near the end of high school, as I realized that I my musical career could be coming to a close. I wanted to continue, and as much as I love the tuba, it is not the most versatile of instruments. So after some meddling, I eventually came to the fiddle. I say fiddle because that is the kind of music that I have chosen for myself (If one can call it that). After that is the overpowering sound my roommates’ six fans, that although noisy, do eventually lull me into a deep sleep. The final noise on my list is not one periodically heard at the end of the day for me, but rather at week’s end, as I venture forth to explore and challenge myself on a new river. In sense I kayak whitewater so that I may be humbled by the rivers immense power. Thus completes my musical composition.

Works Cited:

Schafer, Murray. “Open Ears.” Journal of Acoustic Ecology (2003): 38. Print.

Trower, Shelley. “Introduction Hearing Vibrations.” In Senses of Vibration. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2012.

When I first read the instructions for the audiography, my first instinct was to think “eh… I’ll do that later” because I had absolutely no idea where to start.  There are so many sounds I hear throughout my day that I do not even think twice about, so how can 10 of these sounds hold any importance or value to me? A few days passed by and the assignment was still looming over my head.  I realized that any time I would try and think about this project, I would distract myself by walking away from my desk to a more comfortable space.  That is when it dawned on me that my audiography had to be centered on the theme of comfort.

No matter how upset or angry I may be, I will always dance and rap along to some of my favorite songs; it is the only stimuli that can instantly change my mood.  For this reason, the first sound in my audiography is a recording of Meek Mill and Drake’s song “RICO”, which I use as the alarm on my phone to wake myself up every morning. Provided that I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, hip-hop has always been a big part of my life.  Listening to rap music definitely reminds me of home and helps wake me up in the morning.

After I get up from bed, I make my way down the hall towards the showers.  The white noise of the water quickly rushing out of the shower head and eventually hitting my body provides the perfect environment for me to clear my mind and forget about anything that is stressing me out.

Although I love music and showers, my morning would not be complete without a cup of coffee.  The sound of my Keurig making coffee is included in the audiography because it represents the true start of my day.  Without coffee, my brain is mush. 

Coffee in hand, I make my way over to the bus stop.  The next sound is a recording from the inside of the Redstone Express.  Listening to people talk on the bus and hearing the squeaks and creeks of the busses reminds me of taking the bus to school every day back at home, which is definitely a comforting reminder of life in PA.

When I am all finished with my classes, I make my way back to Redstone via the Ankle Express (walking).  When I make it out of the tunnel by the Davis Center, I am met with a long stretch of quiet, lonely land.  This absence of sound is important to me because it is one of the only times throughout my day where I can get some time away from people and noise for a little.

I inevitably end up snacking when I get home from a long day of school, so I included the sound of a wrapper crackling in my audiography.  Of course, food is an extremely comforting substance that everyone enjoys.  As a result, it is obvious why I included it in a recording of comforting sounds.

Once I am done with my snack, there is nothing I want to do more than to just sit back and hang out with my friends.  For this reason, I decided to include the sounds of video games playing because that is typically where we all migrate to in order to forget about the day.

When I was younger, I was always taught the importance of eating dinner together as a family.  Similarly at UVM, I always make sure to bring my friends with me to dinner so we can all eat and talk together.  The loud chatter of students in Simpson certainly reminds me of my family talking around the dinner table back at home.

Once dinner is finished, the worst part of the day pulls around: homework time.  I always listen to music while doing homework because, as i mentioned earlier, hip-hop music is extremely comforting to me because of the memories that are tied to the songs and culture.  As a result, my second to last sound is the scratching of my pen against paper as I am doing homework.  Young Thug’s “Check” is also playing in the background.

The last sound that I decided to include in my audiography is the click of my bedside lamp as I turn it off for the night.  When I hear this noise, I instantly calm down knowing that the day is finally over and that I can get some rest.

Similar to Barthes’ analysis of “The Grain”, or the idea that people are heavily influenced by music, I feel like there is a grain to everyday life.  Sure, not all sounds contain words that can be interpreted/ understood, but they nevertheless change our feelings and perception of the world around us.  I believe that the comforting sounds I chose for my audiography are a fair and accurate representation of what I believe my grain in life is at UVM.

Works Cited:

Barthes, Roland. “The Grain of the Voice.” (1997): 179-89.

Williams, Robert Rihmeek, and Aubrey Drake Graham. R.I.C.O. Meek Mill Ft. Drake. Vinylz, 2015. Youtube. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

Williams, Jeffrey Lamar. Check. Young Thug. London on Da Track, 2015. Youtube. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Sounds:

1. RICO by Meek Mill ft. Drake
2. Shower
3. Keurig Machine
4. Redstone Express
5. Quiet walk back to Redstone
6. Sound of plastic wrapper crackling
7. Playing video games
8. Dinner at Simpson
9. Check by Young Thug plays while I’m writing in Sharpie on paper (hw, start at 2:17)
10. Sound of me turning off my light next to my bed