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 Soundmarks
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About Soundmarks
Chicago Public Radio invites you to contribute to a new collection of sound – from the sounds of the city to the sounds of the prairie.

What are they?

A SOUNDMARK or “Sonic ID” is a 15-60 second clip of sound broadcast during moments between programming throughout the day, and aims to share the sounds of the diverse people and places that make up our community. It could be sounds of a game of street basketball, noise and conversations inside a Polish Deli, the crunching of leaves on a fall walk in a park, Lions roaring at the Brookfield Zoo, a list of what is in your lunchbox or someone making breakfast in Naperville talking about what they are going to do that day.

Think of them as audio postcards that give you a sense of place/identity and a way to take pause from the constant flow of information and talk in order to re-connect to the reporting or discussion at-hand.

“Once a soundmark has been identified, it deserves to be protected, for soundmarks make the acoustic life of a community unique” –Canadian composer and sound artist R. Murray Schafer

How do I make one?

Any professionally recorded audio collected in the Chicago region will be auditioned but we encourage everyone to pick up recording equipment and start collecting.

Some great “Audio How To” Websites are www.transom.org and www.vocalo.org.

Submission requirements:

You can use our upload form, or email your completed :15 or :30 Soundmark to producer Tammy Terwelp. Soundmarks are visual as well so include a jpg photo of what or where your sounds were collected. Please also include an address of the sounds so we can put a mark on our Soundmarks map! You may also send your submissions on a CD via post to SOUNDMARKS c/o Tammy Terwelp 848 E Grand Ave Chicago, IL 60611.

If you have a suggestion for a Soundmark, but don’t want to record it yourself, email your idea to producer Tammy Terwelp. What sounds define YOUR neighborhood?

Submissions chosen for broadcast will air throughout the Chicago region and live permanently in this growing collection for years to come. We will recognize participants on our website, although no compensation will be offered.

Partners:

Favorite Chicago Sounds
Chicago Architecture Foundation
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