Class members become sound effect specialists for a story that is taped and then played back for discussion. Another workshop, Sound and the Imagination is designed for grades 3 and up. This includes actual writing with dialogue, effects, and music. Some of the students who participate in this workshop go on to enter the Young People's Radio Festival held each year. The tapes are to be written and produced by students and can include any radio format such as documentary, dramatic, informational, and experimental.
Judges are interested in the imaginative and creative use of audio.
Ken Loge, at the University of Oregon's College of Education, teaches a course in sound design as part of the Summer Enrichment Program for middle school children. He is an enthusiastic supporter of letting children explore sound as a personal medium of communication. Loge notes that when children work with video, they do so with preconceived ideas of what a finished product should look like, given their extensive experience with commercial television. Children often feel disappointed when their own videos don't hold up to the standards of their viewing experiences. Audio, Loge says, is a new medium for most kids and they are enthralled with the illusions and imagery they can create through sound.