Here are some potential projects using audio to engage with primary sources: - Oral History Project: Interview family members or community members about their experiences and perspectives on local history topics. Transcribe, edit, and publish the interviews. - Audio Tour: Research and script an audio walking tour of a historic site or neighborhood. Record narration and add background sounds to bring the locations to life for listeners. - Remixing Sources: Find primary source texts like letters, diaries, or newspaper articles and "remix" them into a dramatized audio piece by assigning roles, adding sound effects and music. - Podcast Series: Research a historical time period or event and develop a multi-episode podcast series featuring interviews with experts

1. Bringing Primary Sources to Life

2. Original Recording
Script Version
February 12, 1850
Narrator 1: February 12, 1850
To J. C. Fairchild and Family,
Narrator 2: To J. C. Fairchild and Family,
I think we are in the poorest diggings in the
country and we have made as much this winter
as any store in Madison can make in a year.
About four weeks ago the river rose very high
and drove us on the highest part of the bar
where we supposed there was no gold of any
consequence, but to our surprise we found it the
richest part so we all took our ground and went
to work, since that it has not rained and we have
all done well. Ed & I have taken out over Twelve
hundred dollars or over 2 ounces a day which is
good wages…
Narrator 3: I think we are in the poorest diggings in the
country and we have made as much this winter as any
store in Madison can make in a year.
I remain Your affectionate Friend, Son, & Brother,
Lucius Fairchild
Narrator 1: About four weeks ago the river rose very high
and drove us on the highest part of the bar where we
supposed there was no gold of any consequence,
Narrator 2: but to our surprise we found it the richest part
so we all took our ground and went to work,
Narrator 3: since that it has not rained and we have all done
well. Ed & I have taken out over Twelve hundred dollars
or over 2 ounces a day which is good wages…
ALL: I remain Your affectionate Friend, Son, & Brother, Lucius
Fairchild
From California As I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900.
The California Letters of Lucius Fairchild. Library of Congress’s American Memories Project retrieved January 4, 2006 from http://memory.loc.gov/
Pg. 23, Student Powered Podcasting

3. Foley Art
Here are some examples of other Foley techniques:
*Army Marching: Boots on wood, repeated and looped
*Shovels: Spoons in sand or pebbles
*pick ax: Pipes or metal spoons
Applause: 2-3 People clapping, repeated and looped
*Knocking on door: Knocking on desk or wood
*Time bomb Ticking: Clock
*Airplane Engine: Fan starting and running
*Helicopter: Opening and closing an umbrella very fast
*Bones breaking: cracking celery or carrots
*Knight moving in armor: A set of keys moving
*Walking in snow: patting corn starch
*Dinosaur, monster, or large animal eating: Chewing Watermelon
*Elevator door closing: closing a desk draw or filing cabinet
*Boiling Water: Blowing bubbles with straw
*Horses: paper coffee cups on table
Short video on Foley Art
http://youtu.be/UNvKhe2npMM

4. Garageband or Audacity
or any other audio editing program
Garageband or
Audacity for Mac
Audacity for Mac is here
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/mac
GarageBand is on your Mac
Audacity, any version,
1.2.6 is the ‘classic’
Audacity Download is here
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

5. They all look something like this…
5
10
15
20
25
Track 1
Track 2
Generic video of audio editing
30

6. Start your program, get ready to record
your voice.
• Audacity (open and record)
GarageBand (choose create new Podcast Episode and
recrod)

7. Narration

8. Add Music
Audacity p. 23
GarageBand p. 33

9. Project: Dramatizing Primary Sources
Pick a Source
• “Gold Rush” and follow along the step by step in the book
• “Paul Revere” and improvise from the book instructions (handout)
Record Narration
• One person read
• Create script with multiple readers
Add Sound Effects
• Use one from the ‘pack’
• Search, download and import a new one on soungle.com
• Make
Add Music
• Choose and use one from the “pack”
• Explore and download from megatrax.com
http://is.gd/sanbmedia All Media Here

10. Megatrax.com

11. http://memory.loc.gov/

12. Soungle.com

13. Resources for Extensions
• http://www.megatrax.com Source of music
for projects.
• http://memory.loc.gov Resource for primary
sources in American history.
• http://soungle.com Source for sound effects.
• http://audacity.sourceforge.net
• http://is.gd/sanbmedia

14. Other History Audio Projects

15. Remixing Primary Sources Page 93
http://podcourse.blogspot.com/primary-source.htm

16. Audio Tour Page 115
http://podcourse.blogspot.com/2008/11/audio-tour.html

17. Youth Radio Page 115
www.youthradio.org/environmental/061205_air.shtml

18. Historical Interview page 115
http://podcourse.blogspot.com/2008/04/historic-interview.html