Assignment 2: John Cage 4’33” Deep Listening Reflection
Find a safe place outside that is meaningful to you where you can sit undisturbed for some time.
Sit comfortably, with your back straight and your arms and shoulders relaxed, placing your hands in your lap or on your thighs.
Take 3-5 deep breaths to center yourself.
For 15 minutes (set a timer on your phone) close your eyes and open your ears to all of the sounds around you, as if it was a musical performance
Make mental note of the things you hear, and how they make your feel. They might bring up thoughts and memories, but once they pass, re-focus your mind on the sounds you are hearing.
After you do this deep listening exercise, write a reflection about your experience that includes the following:
Introduction:
Introduce the essay by explaining the activity (what are the steps you did to prepare yourself)
Describe the place that you chose to do your deep listening exercise, and explain why this place was meaningful to you (why you chose it).
Body:
Give an accounting of the sounds you heard from start to finish
Explain the sounds that you heard, and describe them in detail
Describe the thoughts, memories, feelings and emotions you felt during the deep listening
Conclusion
Reflect on the experience – explain what you liked about it and what was challenging
Discuss whether or not you heard the sounds as being musical, the way John Cage interprets sounds
Describe your overall experience of the activity
