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I decided to have a theme for my inquiry that would encompass some of the   readings / videos from the module.  This theme is "Listening to Birds".  The bird sounds are like my materials and medium. I have also used a digital piano, my mobile phone, the laptop and the Audacity software as part of this inquiry.

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Planning the inquiry and a list of recorded tracks

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Planning the inquiry and a list of recorded tracks

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Here is a scanned version of my assignment plan.  In the beginning my inquiry was more broad and I thought it might be called "Listening to the natural environment". I also thought that I might use paint. Here is the plan I drew up for this inquiry. It became more bird focused and sound / recording focused as I got into it.

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Context and the environment where the inquiry took place. 

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Context and the environment where the inquiry took place. 

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In the 'Listening with materials' handout (ECE6006 2019) it talks about  the context and the environment of where the creative work is taking place.
Below are some photos taken from my place or from across the road. This is where I recorded the bird sounds.

I live in Mount Clear, which is in Ballarat and it is ten minutes away from the city centre. I live in a quiet area at the top of a hill. There are a lot of trees and bushland across from me, as well as a walking track. There are lots of birds around because of the trees, the bush and the quiet environment.

The traditional custodians of the land for this area are the Wathaurong people.

There are a number of birds that I have identified that are around this area. Some of these include wattle birds, blackbirds, pigeons, sparrows, butcher birds, magpies, cockatoos, rosellas, rainbow lorikeets and sometimes kookaburras.

However, in the recordings I usually hear the wattle birds, magpies, blackbirds, rainbow lorikeets, rosellas and butcher birds. At least they are the birds I hear the most and can identify.  Please click on the images for a closer view and description.

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In Module 2 there was a video by R.Murray Schafer (2017)  that showed how one can really can delve into the ordinary sounds that are around us everyday.  It was this video made me think of doing something that was sound based. I went for a walk near my place when I was still deciding what to do. I listened to the sounds. I noticed that the most prominent sound for me, as well as the most interesting sound was that of the birds.

A quote from the introduction notes for Module 2 inspired me to do this inquiry. The quote was "...place is an active agent in the music making process, equal to any instruments" (ECE6006 Module 2019).  This made me feel that I wanted to study the bird sounds and respond to them.

In  'Listening with materials'  there are some questions that I explored with the bird sounds (ECE6006 Handout 2019). It is in this inquiry that the birds are my material or my medium. I am using their sounds for recordings and to inspire creative work. I have chosen three questions from this handout to answer in relation to the birds.

(1) What does it mean to listen?
It means to wait and to listen with all of your senses. I had to listen quietly and patiently for the birds to make their sounds. I also had to wait until the evening as the birds are more vocal at this time.  Early morning was also a good time.

(2) What can you hear?
I could hear different birds sounds. There were different types of sounds and they were of different lengths and vibrations as well.

(3) What can't you hear?
I could not hear all the birds that are in the area at the time of this recording. I could not hear the wind.

Below is the first recording I made one evening of the birds near my place.
Here I am imitating the birds sounds after I hear them as the sounds were not picking up very well on the phone recorder.

I just opened my front gate and went outside. This was indeed a true exercise in listening with full attention. I also soon realised that it was not easy to imitate the birds as they have their own special unique body and vocal ability.

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After editing the first recording using Audacity, I realised that I could amplify the bird sounds. This was a breakthrough as it meant that I could  record the birds again and then make the sounds more audible using Audacity.

Because I had already done an evening recording I decided to do my next recording in the morning. This one was recorded around 7.10 am.  This aspect of waiting (in this case the right time of day), fits in with the elements of Dadirri, and deep listening, which Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr (1998) talks about.

In this recording the birds sounds are quite vibrant and chirpy. There are one or two sounds that belong to the wattle bird. The main chirpy bird sound I think is either rosellas or rainbow lorikeets. I am no expert though.

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Recording Number 3: Bringing in the piano

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Recording Number 3: Bringing in the piano

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I wanted to use the piano in a simple way in response to the birds. It is a digital piano and I also used it in a non-technical way. By this I mean I was not thinking about the notes or the key I was in etc. I was mainly thinking about high and low sounds. This means that the piano or another instrument could be used in a similar way in early childhood education, since knowledge of the notes is not necessary.

The first time I used the piano was to imitate the bird sounds as I was listening to them. I could hear them quite clearly as it was evening time. I sat at the piano and listened to the bird sounds. After each sound I had a go at making a similar sound on the piano. I enjoyed this exercise. The recording is attached below.

This exercise involved not only listening to the birds but also the listening to the piano at the same time. As the recording went on I got a little bit better at using the piano to imitate the birds.

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The final recording: A composition on piano inspired by the birds

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The final recording: A composition on piano inspired by the birds

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This recording is an extension of the last one. Here I use some of the bird imitation sounds that I played on the piano  before, whilst adding some other notes or sounds that are inspired by the birds.

This is also an exercise that could be used in early childhood education.

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Composition inspired by the birds edited

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Below are some elements of this inquiry that would translate well into an early childhood education setting:

(1) Listening to and recording bird sounds.
(2) Imitating bird sounds.
(3) Using melodic instruments to imitate birds.
(4) Creating music inspired by bird sounds.

This proved to be a very worthwhile inquiry into listening:  as a part of art, as a creative process, and as part of learning more about the natural environment. It also gave me some ideas as an early childhood educator.