Image Source: Tim Prebble
The NZ forest environment provides a rich visual and aural landscape from which to draw inspiration for creating a soundscape. When engaging students in this topic, there are a number of activities you can do to provide inspiration and ideas.
Visiting the physical setting
This is obviously an ideal but not always practical, especially since a large proportion of our schools are located in an urban environment. If possible to do so, students can experience both the sounds of a forest and the atmosphere in which those sounds are taking place, getting a feeling for ‘mood’and texture in the landscape. Not all bush is the same and depending on where you go will dictate the aural experience i.e. some forest has a lot more birdsong and variety of birds. Visiting native bush also provides the opportunity to record specific sounds to use as samples in your soundscape.
Reading an applicable text to students
A good way to introduce the topic is to read students a picture book that tells a story that relates to the NZ bush and the animals in it. This video created by Ben Wright shows an example of a text aimed at around Year 1 to Year 3 students, “Down in the Forest” by Yvonne Morrison & Jenny Cooper.
Other suitable texts that relate to New Zealand bush- “Wild Pork & Watercress”, by Barry Crump- Year 6 to Year 8 students. “Fantails Quilt”by Gay Hay & Margret Tolland- Year 1 to Year 5 students. “Christmas in the Bush” by Lindy/Kriegler Kelly & Lindy Kelly- Year 0 to Year 4 students.
Exploring visual and aural elements through recorded footage
The next best thing to being in a forest is to experience visual material and audio that illustrates the types of sounds you would hear and the ambiance of the bush environment. You have a range of options here with documentary footage, youtube, recordings of different types of birdsong and so on. Below are some links to examples of visuals and audio from NZ bush settings. Here is a collection of digital resources for the native bush environment that you could use in your classroom. Sample questions - what sort of sounds can you identify? what makes that sort of sound? what sort of sounds will we need to make in our soundscape to create the feeling of walking in the native bush? how might we make those sounds?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTYE6nJAc3I
Bush walk, good sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-YWKY7SkQg
Bush walk good footage, not good sound.
http://www.whatbird.co.nz/index.php
Has audio samples for all NZ birds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vmqziCB9jc&feature=related
Footage and audio of NZ birds in a bush setting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u99KVepdkw
NZ Bush footage integrating bush sounds with a piece of classical music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I5sT_TOmf4
NZ Bush audio from a forest grotto (static frame visual).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11xPzHMm7vE
Great NZ bush audio from Queen Charlotte Track( static image).
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