What is a sound map?
A sound map is a simple way of noticing and noting the sounds in a local area by drawing or labelling them on a blank card.
Sound maps confront a bad habit that most of us have developed - we are so intent on getting somewhere that we miss much of what we are travelling through. Or a place is so familiar we fail to notice the detail that makes it special. And yet in woodlands, nature reserves, parks, gardens and countryside trails it is the moments of pause that can offer up the richest opportunities to absorb the places we are in.
As a technique, sound maps couldn't be easier. They are simple and cheap to make, in fact they look so simple it can be hard for people to believe they are going to have the effect that they do.
How to make a sound map
Sound maps are easy to make. Cardboard is good as you will often do this exercise when out and about. You could use any plain cardboard - the inside of a cereal box, a cardboard box, white card - make it big enough to draw and write on. Get a marker or pencil. And that's it!
People record sounds differently - some write the names of what they hear, others draw.
How to use a sound map
- Take a sound map and pencil or pen
- Mark yourself in the middle of the sound map
- Find a spot and stand or sit still
- Stay still for a short while (try 5 minutes) and start to listen to what is making sound around you.
- Mark on the card the sounds you can hear and where they are coming from, for example there may be a stream behind you, sheep in a field in front of you, birds singing above and to your side. Be still and quiet and really focus on sounds you can hear.
- You can draw, write or colour the sounds you can hear around you.
- Consider combining more senses by recording shapes and textures you associate with different sounds. Ask yourself the simple question, if you could touch the sound what would it feel like?
Using sound maps as a group activity
Sound maps are a great way of encouraging people to slow down and tune in with the place they are in. They have proved effective with everyone we have used them with - children, older people, teachers, farmers and park managers. We have used them as a calming exercise at the start of a training day, as a reflective session as part of a workshop, and to demonstrate the activity to activity leaders to use in their own work.
We have successfully used sound mapping with students with visual impairments as part of reviewing the sensory qualities of a landscape. Some students marked their cards with text and pictures, while others substituted textures they associated with the sounds. Some simply absorbed the sounds and talked about them afterwards. They said the sound mapping helped them slow down and pay attention to the detail around them. It also helped them oritentate themselves within the wider place for example by picking up the sounds of a road and river.
"One of the ways we bring the farm to life is to use a ‘Sound Map’. It is fantastic, and produces many different interpretations of sound, as well as a piece of artwork the children take home with them as a reminder of the day. We have found that this is so beneficial with all the groups who visit, including those with special needs, that we have now introduced the sound map into every visit we do. The children focus on more than they can see, or for those whose sight is impaired, their own visit comes to life instantly through sound. With inner city children, whose excitement is infectious, the sound map also acts as a calming measure, where we can all regroup before we go pond dipping."
Patsy Pimlott, Park Hill Farm
