Joe Steigerwald
Elm Grove Park
1:25pm
The most dominant sound I make is the occasional noise of a pebble as it grinds between my shoe and the pavement. Also the sniffles from my allergies and the sound of my breathing are noticeable. The most dominant noise that I hear is the high pitched song of the many crickets that make their home in the marsh grass. Another dominant noise is the wail of the cicadas. Also I can hear the “whap” of tennis balls being hit a ways away in the tennis court. They are especially noticeable because of their rhythm and frequency. These sounds are all indicative of the park location and environment. The crickets and birds suggest a nature scene next to a body of water. The cicadas correlate with the time of day and heat. Also the tennis players convey the spirit of recreation that goes along with a park setting.
The most dominant high frequency noises are the crickets and tennis balls, both of them noticeable because of their frequency and rhythm. The lower frequency sound is the traffic from Watertown plank road. The tiniest sounds I hear are the light rustling of the wind as it goes through the grass and leaves. I noticed that because I was more tuned in to all the sounds, not just the dominant ones, that the environment seemed more and more like a symphony describing setting the aura of the park as well as more diverse.
When I stop walking I hear the same sounds as well as new ones, like ringing of a dog collar in the distance, the rhythm of a hammer at a nearby construction sight as well as an electric saw.
The next location I stopped at is a school. Much of the same noises are here as well, such as the construction saw, and crickets are still prevalent. This time however I can hear new noises such the rhythm of a bouncing basketball, and the whir of a police siren. Also grunts and yells of the basketball players adds some human personality to the setting.
