Slowing down to listen gives you a restful break from your busy life. The morning dogs sound like a zoo awakening. A nearby horse fancies kicking his metal trough at night, making a sound like a hammer on a metal drum. I love when I hear the neighbor’s geese and ducks giving someone a good talking to. We bring our version of classic rock songs and also original songs to the stage. There are often manmade sounds too (particularly in the mornings): traffic, cars starting, garbage trucks and lawnmowers. The Wandering Willows are a southern/ American rock band based in north Georgia. One time I had a gray squirrel tell me off with squawks and squirrel growls.Īt night you can hear the hum of various insects. Sometimes I will stand out in our field at sunset hearing the quail talking and rustling in the willows.

I sit on my porch swing trying to separate out the layers of sound: crickets, frogs, owls, wind or creeping somethings in the bushes. I find those times of day to be very active sound-wise. I like to do my listening either early in the morning or after dark. Just come back to the sounds “when you catch yourself running through your to-do list in your head.” Since this is like a meditation, you may find your mind wandering. Put on the map where a sound comes from and what is making the sound. If you feel like doing a sound map, which is a great activity with kids, have a piece of paper where you draw yourself at the center, and then note sounds you hear where you hear them in relationship to yourself. Once situated, close your eyes and pay attention to what you hear. You may want to set a timer for five to 30 minutes. Shirvell says leave the phone behind or “at least put it on do not disturb.” Then sit or lie down some place where you are comfortable.

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