Organization

The set-up and flow of Sounding Composition is offered to readers in an inviting and practical format.  Ceraso highlights key terms and features of listening and sound, and includes examples and applications of multimodal listening pedagogy.  She explains the need for a restructured sonic education that includes a focus on understanding how listening and sonic exposure need to be heard by all of one’s body; to gain the most from sonic exposure, a person needs to develop skills to understand how exposure affects their total being instead of just thinking of an auditory experience as being something one hears through their ears only. Ceraso spotlights the interaction between sonic listening and composing, and highlights how multimodal listening pedagogy trains students to become not only better listeners/consumers, but also more influential, persuasive, and effective producers. The book begins with a chapter about sound, rhetoric and composition, and sound studies. Ceraso then hones in on specific aspects about listening and sonic composing projects. Each chapter begins with background information and an anecdotal story, and she reiterates the reasons why it is so important to reconsider listening and sound.  She then divides the chapters into a section called Reverberation.  Here she describes a project involving listening and sonic composing she developed and used in her classroom.  She explains the aim of the assignment and the assignment guidelines; the design and purpose; the context, attunement, and challenges; pedagogical commentary; samples of student work; a list of general criteria to use to evaluate the project; and related resources.