Soundwalking is the practice of walking with a special focus on deep listening, and sound artist Katie Down knows how to listen. She is a classically trained flutist who also plays guitar, ukulele, dumbek, frame drum, and various glass and homemade instruments when she isn’t developing sound designs and scores for theater and dance companies around town and around the world. In her upcoming Makor program, she’ll be leading the curious on an aural exploration of Manhattan. What exactly does that involve? It’s not just about closing your eyes and shutting your mouth, as Katie notes in her class description:

Igniting the senses through sight deprivation is one way to focus deep listening, but do we only listen with our ears? How does one listen with their ears as well as their feet, their skin, their touch? We provide a safe, nurturing environment based on trust, instinct, and of course, a sense of adventure. It will change the way you think and feel about sound and perhaps change how you “view” the city!

Canadian composer and music educator R. Murray Schafer is one of the originators of soundwalking, and the website for his World Soundscape Project offers a lot of interesting background material. See also this introductory article from radio artist Hildegard Westerkamp.

Katie’s workshop is one of hundreds of fall classes starting up now. Register before the first session of your favorite passes.

[New York Soundwalking Experience: 09/30/07]