In the interview, Jeff Porter talks about how to use music and other sounds to convey the kind of stories you’re telling, especially when it comes to the openings. The opening track that I choose for my audio essay is a traditional Vietnamese song called “Phat Loi.” I choose this track not only because it reflects my family’s ethnicity but it should also be fitting to my tone of voice, since I’ve always had an accent when I speak doesn’t matter how much I tried. Besides, the song has a special Asian rhythm and an upbeat feeling that I think is suitable for the opening of my story, since the audio opens with a folktale. Like the Kitchen Sisters says, the soundtrack of your audio essay should be something that “moves the story somewhere new and sets a mood and a tone.”
The second song is “Cay Vi Cam,” also a Vietnamese song. It originally contains lyrics but I purposely pick the instrumental version because I don’t want it to interfere with my vocal. My dad and I first heard it together on a musical contest a few years back and instantly liked it because it was about a daughter’s feelings towards her father, which is why I thought it would be suitable for my story. In addition, I also will record some kitchen sounds for when I talk about my dad’s cooking in my audio. When it comes to transforming a textual essay into an audio one, Porter advises that a writer has to become “elliptical,” and “let sounds carry the burden of meaning” so I think that’s what I will try to do, despite the fact that I find the way I sound very annoying.
Links to songs:
http://www.nhaccuatui.com/bai-hat/cay-vi-cam-beat.EAJvP_S3fi.html