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It's the sound of the streets
YOUNGSTERS from three south Leeds schools are making "sonic postcards" –recording everyday sounds from their local area, to share with other youngsters across the UK, showing what everyday life sounds like to them.
The recordings will be mixed, edited and turned into digital MP3 recordings, all of which the children can do using free software on the internet.
The MP3s will be loaded onto the Sonic Art Network internet website, allowing anyone in the UK and around the world to share their day-to-day lives with others.
The sonic postcards aim to give a flavour of the area through sound, rather than as a visual snapshot.
They also contribute to an audio map, storing sounds that may someday disappear altogether. They will also show how everyday sounds differ throughout the country, for example the differences between the sounds of the inner-city and the sounds of the countryside.
The project involves school students at Ingram Road Primary School in Holbeck, and Cockburn High and New Bewerley Primary School, both in Beeston.
The youngsters want to hear what children from a rural village might think of the sounds of an urban village, and whether historians in the future will discover things about life in the 21st Century by investigating sound archives like the sonic postcards.
Creative
The initiative is being piloted by the "Light" Neville Street renewal project, and aims to educate children through their sense of hearing, and explore why sound art is relevant.
A group of 22 children from Ingram Road school, aged nine and 10 years, spent a day with recording equipment at their local swimming pool in South Leeds Sports Centre, at the school's own playground and nearby on Holbeck Moor, taping the rattle of swings, clanging of gates and rustle of the trees, often with the constant background hum of traffic never far away.
The project is being funded by Holbeck Urban Village, Sharing the Success and Education Leeds, to help people in the local community explore the technology and creative ideas for the innovative new gateway to the city which will see the redevelopment of Neville Street.
Rob Worby, the artist leading the children at Ingram Primary School, said: "Working with children in this way you realize just how limited our vocabulary is for talking about sounds. We know what the word is for "trumpet", but there's no word to describe the noise a trumpet makes, so when children start to really concentrate on the sounds around them that they usually take for granted, they often find that at first, it's quite hard to describe what they're hearing.
"Learning more about the soundscape around you means that you're much more aware of your own environment, and editing them into 'Sonic Postcards' uses creative and technical skills, which will both be really important for people growing up in today's hi-tech age."
Following the pilot scheme in south Leeds it is anticipated that 'sonic postcards' could become part of the schools curriculum across the city.
Pupils gain a world vision
A LEEDS school devoted a day of activities to learning about the lives of other students and young people around the world.
Global Dimension Day is an annual event at Prince Henry's Grammar School in the market town of Otley.
This year's event was entitled 'Timanyane – getting to know each other.'
Activities on Wednesday this week included:
African dancers and drummers running workshops;
Two workers from UNICEF leading workshops about global health and children's rights;
A photographic exhibition about child labour from 'Save the Children';
Harry Shier, a renowned educationalist working in Nicaragua where Prince Henry's has links with a school, talking about the problems of the region.
Other activities included a visit by Maria, a young woman from Nicaragua, who works with young people in the region of Matagalpa, and who told students about her early life and the importance of Fair Trade Associations in giving her a chance to get an education and get out of poverty.
Food from around the world was served.
"We have been running these days for four years at Prince Henry's to help our students to focus on taking their place as global citizens," said a school spokeswoman.
School is an award-winner for healthy living
PUPILS at a Leeds primary school have won a top award for becoming healthier. Shakespeare Primary School in Burmantofts is the first in the UK to obtain a gold award from West Yorkshire-based firm Let's Get Healthy.
Pupils aged between seven to nine from the school took part in an after-school programme for 12 weeks which covered healthy eating, improving their lifestyles and increasing activity.
The award was handed out by Bradford-born actress Heather Peace, who has starred in The Chase and London's Burning.
She said: "The children are so excited about the programme and so excited about receiving their gold award. They all want to continue learning, which is great.
"It just goes to show you that children can be engaged and learn about healthy living. Each week they were given an education takeaway to help them stay active at home and they loved the idea of creating their own games."
Let's Get Healthy funded the "Jump on Board" programme, which has been jointly developed by Leeds Metropolitan University, and held sessions at Primrose High School. Youngsters and their parents achieved their gold awards after taking part for 12 weeks.
Julian Gorton, Shakespeare Primary School headteacher, said: "It's been a brilliant experience for the school. We work towards having a healthy school. To have 90 per cent of children participating after 12 weeks is wonderful."
Guides to summer fun for schools
LEEDS City Council is to distribute tens of thousands of guides to summer activities in the city to schools in Leeds.
The guide, the Breeze Active Summer Programme, is expected to have a readership of more thann 220,000 youngsters.
It will be the first time the Council has produced such a guide. In previous years individual guides have been produced based on local leisure centres.
The new brochure will include details of the special activities organised for children and young people during the summer holidays at the Council's 17 leisure facilities, Breeze Youth Festival and parks. In addition, the magazine will include information about summer clubs, activities and leisure attractions from other organisations in the region.
The magazine will be distributed to schools throughout Leeds and the surrounding area, as well as via leisure centres, libraries, galleries and other council facilities.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
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