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Sound Criteria and Stretch Goals

Work to have done:

  • Read through and practice the command-line git flow from Tuesday’s lesson: pull, add, commit, push
  • Work on your soundscapes, and push a soundscape preview to GitHub: .aup file, data folder, screenshot, and text description, plus updated list of assets. mp3 optional but encouraged.

Plan for the Day:

  1. Reflective writing (5 min)
  2. Refresher on soundscapes we’ve liked (5 min)
  3. Gathering criteria (45 min)
  4. Sources, assets, permissions, citations (5-10 min)
  5. EXT: Studio and microconferences

1. Reflective writing (5 min)

In your own space – you won't have to share this unless you want to – do a little writing about your soundscape narrative in progress. What's exciting about it? What's challenging about it? What are you unsure of?

2. Refresher on soundscapes we’ve liked (5 min)

Shift now in your writing to think about the blog posts on listening to soundscapes – or, if you haven’t read through them in a while, look at them quickly now with an eye toward what people are praising in the sound pieces: what seems to make a soundscape narrative work well? Jot down some notes.

3. Gathering criteria (45 min)

Primed now by that writing and thinking, I’m going to ask you to get in groups and brainstorm in pursuit of baseline and aspirational criteria for this unit.

3a. Let’s try the groups we used last time:

Alex, Brittany, Richard, and Weston / Corey, Danielle, Ellie, and Rebecca / Emma M, Jade, and Julianna / Fatema Q, Natasha, Rachel, and Ruhi / Emma K, Fathima S, Kevin, and Nicole

3b. Crowdsource ideas (10 min)

To bring all our notes together while allowing for real-time collaboration, use this google doc: bit.ly/cdm2019fall-criteria.

Take 10 minutes in groups to make some lists: given the goals of the unit, what should we set as our minimum criteria for full credit? What are some ways we might push beyond that minimum – not just in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality? That is, I really want you to see these aspirational goals as opportunities to stretch yourselves and your skills, not just to do more of the same. Think about what would be new and potentially exciting, but not required for everyone.

3c. Discuss and Integrate (30 min)

Quickly read through the other groups’ notes, adding comments in the margins to upvote or propose modifications. As you see consensus forming, propose an official version for our list of shared criteria.

We’ll refine as a group, and repeat, and then come back and revise after Tuesday’s workshop.

EXT assets vs citations (5-10 min)

How can we give credit to a source in audio?

  • Audibly, directly in the sound file (usually at the end)
  • In a prominently placed credits text that accompanies the sound file
    • If taking this option, I recommend linking to that file in your README.

For next time:

  • Work to bring in a full draft: a solid attempt at a complete soundscape narrative, ideally at the target length. Rough edges are still welcome.
  • Continue taking periodic screenshots and posting meaningful commit messages in Git
  • Push a full draft, with the same four parts as the preview plus a CREDITS.md file with citations for the sources you’ve actually used (including direct links where possible) and permissions/license to use them
    • NB: I’m only suggesting all-caps for special files readers might want to find quickly. It kind of loses the effect if everything is in caps. (Better to be all lowercase, if you have to choose.)
  • Bring headphones
  • Also bring a camera (phone is fine)