Okay, so have y'all heard of the site Ambient-Mixer?
It's a website where you can combine 100's of different ambient noises including sound effects and music, in order to make the perfect background noise for whatever you need. I first heard about it because people were using it to make really cool "audio atmospheres" based on books and TV shows, like "Gryffindor Common Room," "Neverland," and "Sherlock's Apartment." Being an uber-nerd, I created a mix for the Hufflepuff Common Room and I listen to it all the time when studying or doing homework.
It wasn't until this year that I decided to try using Ambient-Mixer in my classroom. I sometimes play PrimeMusic at a low volume when my students are doing independent work to limit their talking, but it was presenting some issues. I kept getting requests from kids to change the song or play sometimes specific, and music with lyrics could be distracting.
So one day I decided to pull up Ambient-Mixer and give it a try. After some complaints and arguing over what to listen to ("No not rain, it will make me have to pee!" "Miss what is this? I don't need to feel like some animal is gonna come eat me!" "Okay that weird giggling is creepy!") we found a mix the class liked overall and they got to work.
And they were quiet. I think they all were silent at first so they could listen to the sounds a bit. Then they got into the groove of working and stayed quiet. Not perfectly silent mind you, but far quieter than usual. It was beautiful.
So now I give my kids the option of silence, music, or ambiance. When they want the ambiance I sometimes let the class or one student choose what to listen to. You'd be surprised what they come up with. Mostly it's typical things like rain, bonfire, or a storm. But I've had kids challenge me like "I want to be in New York City," or "Let's be on a pirate ship."
A great thing about the site is that you can edit anything you open. I often adjust the sounds for the first few minutes until it's a nice balance, lowering the volume of anything too loud or sharp, and sometimes muting really distracting sounds (sorry calling deer in the forest. You make it sound like we have a cow in the room).
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Beyond just background noise, you can use Ambient Mixer to add some atmosphere during readings. I've got a fairy forest mix we use for A Midsummer Night's Dream, and I'll pull things like Marketplace or Dance Hall when reading Romeo and Juliet.
And you can make your own. The possibilities there are endless. Custom design sounds for your class, certain activities, or stories. You can even have the kids make some themselves.
It's a really cool tool and I hope you try it out.
