Drawing what was heard

Both texts are newly written practice sources about invented people, places or projects.

Text One: An original account of an invented sound-and-drawing activity.

We listened to the same short recording and drew marks on paper. My page had a jagged line at the point where a door shut. Another participant used one heavy dot. The leader asked us to explain the marks before deciding that either drawing had missed the sound.

During a second listening, we added the order of events. A repeated tap and a continuous hum had overlapped, which a single line across the page did not show clearly. Some people made separate rows; others varied the weight of their marks. We were creating ways to discuss the recording, not discovering its one correct picture.

When we exchanged sheets without explanations, several marks became difficult to interpret. A short key helped, but it could not recreate the original sound. We kept the recording available beside the drawings so someone could move between hearing, looking and asking about a choice.

Text Two: An original report about a different fictional visual-score workshop.

The workshop used participants' invented symbols to represent selected features of a recorded sound sequence. Its guidance distinguished a private response from a system another person could follow. Both were allowed, but they served different purposes.

These were examples, not compulsory rules. The final display included keys and explanations of what each sheet emphasised or omitted. The report said the drawings supported discussion of attention and sequence. They did not replace listening or prove that all participants had experienced the sound identically.

Synthesise what you learn from both texts about representing sounds through drawings or invented symbols.