Halloween is around the corner. As we approach the most frightful holiday of the year, I’d like to share a little bit about a spooky challenge I’ve been taking on outside of my work at Ideastream Public Media: teaching college students! (Gasp! Shriek!)
Just kidding. It's terrifying in a good way.
The class is called Audio Storytelling and Podcasting at Kent State University. The course covers exactly what you might think: the basics of reporting stories for the audio medium. So far, my students have learned how to write radio scripts, record crisp natural sounds and, in one of my favorite class sessions thus far, properly use their voices. (I had them do a myriad of vocal exercises, like reading aloud a sentence in the tone of a toddler or a Valley Girl. It’s a helpful exercise to expand your vocal range, and quite entertaining.)
To be honest, when I was preparing for the class over the summer, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. I have younger brothers who are the age of these students, and I know how stubborn and listless 20-year-olds can be, especially at 8:45 on Monday mornings. Of course, I certainly don’t expect every student to be as enthusiastic about audio storytelling as I am, but I wanted to make sure my lessons were as engaging as possible.
Within the first week, I was delightfully surprised and invigorated by how passionate and eager-to-learn my students were. I smiled with pride when they wrote their first radio scripts. When they read the scripts aloud, some of them even started developing their “broadcaster” voices. Since then, it’s been so refreshing to hear them discuss audio storytelling techniques each week and apply what they’ve learned to their in-class exercises.
I don’t mean to sound like “Professor Pollyanna.” Not every day is perfect, and I’m definitely learning which lessons keep the class engaged, and which do not.
This week, it was time for them to show me what they can do outside of the classroom. They completed their first major project: a profile.
The assignment was to interview and spend some time with someone they didn’t know personally and produce an audio story about them.
The students talked to a unique assortment of people. An engineer working on automation in the dairy industry (think robotic cow-milking machines). A high school teacher who started a Dungeons and Dragons club that caught the attention of Cleveland Browns players. And a stay-at-home mom struggling with anxiety. One student even knocked on the door of a total stranger. Turns out, he’s an illustrator who has worked on some major films, including Coraline!
These students impressed me with their descriptive writing and natural sound, and I can’t wait to hear them continue to improve and learn with their next project.
It’s not just the students who are learning from this class. I’m learning, too, and, in some ways, re-learning.
At times, it can be tiring to keep up with all the daily news of my busy city government beat. Through preparing lessons and teaching this class, I’m getting back to the basics of why audio storytelling is so meaningful. It has inspired me to pitch creative, sound-rich stories that take listeners on an immersive journey. I’m revisiting the excited, passionate feelings I had when I took my first audio storytelling class as a student at KSU, taught at the time by Amanda Rabinowitz, now my colleague at Ideastream.
After that class, I knew I wanted to pursue public radio as a career. As I teach this class, I’m remembering why I’m here.
I could gush even more about these inspiring students, but I'm worried they'll find this and slack off for the rest of the semester.
I have a feeling, though, that this won’t be the last you’ll hear about this fabulous class. I fully expect a few students to work as interns at Ideastream Public Media.
I’ll certainly put in a good word for them.
