Soundscapes: Listening in a Pandemic

After the UW-Milwaukee campus shut down, Audio Storytelling students had to figure out new ways to record and edit from home. As a test run, they wandered their cities, towns and neighborhoods, listening more closely than usual.

Max Mitchelson takes a walk through Shorewood to Lake Michigan.

Ozaukee County’s largest grassland is the Schwengel Waterfowl Production Area. From the road, it looks like a plain old field, but when you hike in, you can see – and hear – the bustle of life. Amanda Niebauer takes a listen.

UWM student Joe Arnold explores Milwaukee’s East Side, listening for signs of life during the COVID-19 outbreak.

City dweller Bob Zwaska enjoys the sounds of the country just outside his back door.

Water is everywhere in Muskegon, Michigan, where Duck Lake State Park meets the big lake. Rachel Robinson explores.

Rachel Zawicki takes along her audio recorder to find patches of nature among Muskego’s cul-de-sacs.

Downtown Pewaukee is quiet as Grayson Sewell goes searching for sounds.