In our Media Lectorial for the first hour we talked about sound. I found this a eye opener because I had never really thought in detail about what I listen to compared to what I hear. Consciously I hear the sounds around me without even having to pay attention to it, but to listen I have to focus more intensely about what the sound is and concentrate to understand what is going on.

When thinking about sounds that I love or hate I associate then with periods in my life that I am happy or good/bad memories. For example when I hear the sound of cicadas outside it reminds me of being in my Beach House in the Bay of Islands where we spend the whole of summer with my family and friends coming and going. That is a experience I have every year and brings me so much happiness because it means that it is summer time and I get to surround myself with the people that bring out the best in me. There is not a certain sound that I can think of that I hate other then the classic nails down a chalk board… That is one sound that brings my whole body to shivers and irritates me so much. 

When I think about memories that evoke due to sounds I automatically relate to music. If i am listening to a certain song at the time something is happening, then relisten to it weeks or months later I automatically associate myself with that song. For example now everytime I hear the song ‘Someone New’ by Hozier I automatically remember the period before summer break with my Ex Boyfriend- as ironic as it is I try to avoid listening to that song because it brings back good memories but not ones that I need to be reminded of everyday in order to move on.

When I am in a bad mood I always know the type of music I need to listen to in order to either lift my mood or keep me calm. I feel like this is a really important thing to do because when I am in a bad mood or not enjoying the situation I am in- I like to isolate the sounds I hear and listen to what makes me happy. 

This lectorial really impacted on me because sometimes I feel as if I have selective hearing towards what I want to hear and don’t either because I’m bored or it just doesn’t interest me. I want to be more aware of the sounds going on around me because I feel as if it enhances the atmosphere I am in.