Spring Soundwalks with Students

In the spring of 2023, I got to lead a series of soundwalks with high school students on the campus of Ohio State University. It was a blast! Part of the Learning and Public Practice program at the Wexner Center for the Arts, the students were curious, thoughtful, and kind. They were also willing to participate in the odd activity (for teenagers, at least) of being quiet and listening and walking. Read more about my experiences below.

This past spring, I once again found myself happily adapting my long-standing listening project called Forest Listening Rooms for a new audience. This time it was a special chance to work with several classes of high school students on soundwalks on Ohio State University’s campus. What a joy! Seriously, the students were curious, thoughtful, and kind. They were also willing to participate in the odd activity (for teenagers, at least) of being quiet and listening and walking.

These walks were sponsored by the Learning and Public Practice program at the Wexner Center for the Arts, and each was followed by a visit to the Wexner Center’s galleries.

I mentioned this in my last post, but will do so again: I’ve spent such a long time focusing on a particular place and community of people — in the Wayne National Forest in Appalachian Ohio. And as the Forest Listening Rooms project has grown and evolved, I’ve been approached several times to adapt it. This process has been so rewarding; I’ve been surprised at how wonderful the results have been in each new place and situation...