Mobile Storytelling Workshop (2020 and 2021):
I believe that knowing how to hold a conversation, interviewing someone, and teaching others to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes in a short amount of time can be huge national and global problem-solvers.
1. Students interview (record) each other for five minutes asking one of two prompts or their own questions:
1. Can you describe a time in your life when you stood up for yourself or another person?
OR
2. Can you describe a time that you spent near or in a body of water?
OR
3. Agree on another question to ask each other.
2. Students create a soundscape of only one to two minutes of their interviewee’s story that gives the essence of the story with instructions for the audience to do a gesture or a gesture based on an interpretation of the story.
3. Students send me a description and title of their piece and then present their Mobile Storytelling projects as immersive and performative soundscapes to the class.
Here are 4 Student Work samples of Audio files and Descriptions of their Mobile Storytelling project.
(In 2021, students recorded online over Zoom in Breakout rooms for their interviews, and performances
together were also via Zoom):
1. Awakening by Rachel Keyes (in my Critical Issues in Deep Listening Class, Fall 2021 on Zoom)
My piece tells the story of an awakening to art with an emphasis on the impact of media and exposure to cinema and stop-motion in childhood. The sound piece is reflective and is meant to be listened to meditatively. The mood is light, but the piece definitely calls for us to look deeper into our own relationships with media and the world around us, and to consider how these forms have influenced our lives thus far. The listener should wear headphones if possible because many of the sounds are subtle. There is also panning which is best appreciated through headphones. During the piece the audience should reflect on their own experiences with art, what inspires them, and what led them to where they are now.
While listening, close your eyes, and lean your head down or back in a position that is comfortable, releasing the tension from your arms and legs. You could also lay flat on your back with your eyes closed and your arms spread out to your sides, any position that is freeing and releases the tension in your body until you feel as if you are floating. Let your mind go while the audio washes over you and get carried away into your own subconscious while you listen and reflect.
While listening, close your eyes, and lean your head down or back in a position that is comfortable, releasing the tension from your arms and legs. You could also lay flat on your back with your eyes closed and your arms spread out to your sides, any position that is freeing and releases the tension in your body until you feel as if you are floating. Let your mind go while the audio washes over you and get carried away into your own subconscious while you listen and reflect.
2. Void by Sam Wagner (in my Critical Issues in Deep Listening Class, Fall 2021 on Zoom)
When planning out my performance, I noticed how much fantastic descriptive language
my interviewee used in her story. Due to that, I decided to keep the story all in her own words
and voice. The recording I got also had a nice, grainy effect on it that I think meshed really well
with the serene vibe I got from the story. I really latched onto the word “Void” at the end of the
story, I think it solidifies a serene, calm mood for the entire piece. As such, I focused on
atmospheric sounds that reflect the calming spaces my interviewee describes throughout their
story.
The gesture this piece makes me want to act out ranges from “Relax” and “Explore”.
Listening to the calm nature of the story wants me to melt into my chair, but the spirit of
adventure my interviewee brings to the piece is also very compelling to me.
my interviewee used in her story. Due to that, I decided to keep the story all in her own words
and voice. The recording I got also had a nice, grainy effect on it that I think meshed really well
with the serene vibe I got from the story. I really latched onto the word “Void” at the end of the
story, I think it solidifies a serene, calm mood for the entire piece. As such, I focused on
atmospheric sounds that reflect the calming spaces my interviewee describes throughout their
story.
The gesture this piece makes me want to act out ranges from “Relax” and “Explore”.
Listening to the calm nature of the story wants me to melt into my chair, but the spirit of
adventure my interviewee brings to the piece is also very compelling to me.
3. My Quiet Friend Jamal by Sam Taylor (in my Anxiety and the Anthropocene class, Spring 2020, in-person)
My interviewee Lote decided to tell a story about a time when he stood up for himself
and his friends. The bully he stood up against, Jamal, ended up becoming his pal after Lote
pushed him into a little creek near the playground area. The story captured a kind of ominous
mood at first because Lote’s relationship with Jamal was as a pretty violent antagonist, and he
really didn’t understand why he was in that situation. I wanted to make a piece that captured
the idea of “playground lore”, stories that kids tell each other on the playground, which is why I
incorporated rhythmic beats and toy samples into the piece. The key quote I chose to include
from Lote’s interview was “My words ain’t doing anything. I’m not much of a fighter; this ain’t
helping.” because it gives you an idea of what’s going on in his mind before he grabs Jamal
and puts him in the creek.
The big speakers in the KI classroom would be used to better highlight the details in the
sound piece and make it easier to do the movement/gesture. At the start of the piece, I want
everyone to do an idle fighting video game character pose while facing a partner because it
reminds me of how people get ready for fights in boxing or films. When the splash ends, I
would like the partners to shake hands and nod at each other until the end of the piece. This
signifies the resolution when Lote and Jamal become new friends. Overall, the intention of the
movements with the overlayed sound piece will create an arc for Lote and Jamal’s relationship.
and his friends. The bully he stood up against, Jamal, ended up becoming his pal after Lote
pushed him into a little creek near the playground area. The story captured a kind of ominous
mood at first because Lote’s relationship with Jamal was as a pretty violent antagonist, and he
really didn’t understand why he was in that situation. I wanted to make a piece that captured
the idea of “playground lore”, stories that kids tell each other on the playground, which is why I
incorporated rhythmic beats and toy samples into the piece. The key quote I chose to include
from Lote’s interview was “My words ain’t doing anything. I’m not much of a fighter; this ain’t
helping.” because it gives you an idea of what’s going on in his mind before he grabs Jamal
and puts him in the creek.
The big speakers in the KI classroom would be used to better highlight the details in the
sound piece and make it easier to do the movement/gesture. At the start of the piece, I want
everyone to do an idle fighting video game character pose while facing a partner because it
reminds me of how people get ready for fights in boxing or films. When the splash ends, I
would like the partners to shake hands and nod at each other until the end of the piece. This
signifies the resolution when Lote and Jamal become new friends. Overall, the intention of the
movements with the overlayed sound piece will create an arc for Lote and Jamal’s relationship.
4. Assistance Resistance by Hans Stahl (in Anxiety and the Anthropocene class, Spring 2020, in-person)
This sound piece is an abstraction of a story about compassion and resistance.
Specifically, a desire for humanity and a group of people with a goal. This sound piece is
realized as a performance, where the sound is played through two speakers and a subwoofer
for lower frequencies. The sound is accompanied by a collective performance by the audience,
in which they are given Fluxus-style performance score. The score is as follows:
Assistance/Resistance:
The audience gathers standing around a large table. Each person grabs an edge of the
table with a firm grip. Over the course of approximately two minutes, they collectively
raise the table to chest height or higher, even above their heads if possible. The table is
then placed back down at the end of the two minutes.
The sound component of this piece is comprised of the granulated voice of a person as
they tell a story. Words fade in and out, phrases are repeated and reversed. This is augmented
by ambient tonal elements that bring a rising, positive mood to the piece. As the piece
continues, words and phrases become more clear, and the sound becomes broader, filling out
the frequency range. The sounds of the voice are still granular, but as they grow with the tonal
elements, they form collective strength that is powerful but not forceful. As the piece nears the
end, the sounds become more minimal, but not thin or weak. The piece ends in bright tonality,
and resolving intonation in the voice of the storyteller.
Specifically, a desire for humanity and a group of people with a goal. This sound piece is
realized as a performance, where the sound is played through two speakers and a subwoofer
for lower frequencies. The sound is accompanied by a collective performance by the audience,
in which they are given Fluxus-style performance score. The score is as follows:
Assistance/Resistance:
The audience gathers standing around a large table. Each person grabs an edge of the
table with a firm grip. Over the course of approximately two minutes, they collectively
raise the table to chest height or higher, even above their heads if possible. The table is
then placed back down at the end of the two minutes.
The sound component of this piece is comprised of the granulated voice of a person as
they tell a story. Words fade in and out, phrases are repeated and reversed. This is augmented
by ambient tonal elements that bring a rising, positive mood to the piece. As the piece
continues, words and phrases become more clear, and the sound becomes broader, filling out
the frequency range. The sounds of the voice are still granular, but as they grow with the tonal
elements, they form collective strength that is powerful but not forceful. As the piece nears the
end, the sounds become more minimal, but not thin or weak. The piece ends in bright tonality,
and resolving intonation in the voice of the storyteller.