| The participating schools | - Dartmouth Primary School
- Dartington C of E Primary School
- West Park Primary School
- Ford Primary School
- South Trelawny Primary School
- Woodfield Primary School
- Plym View Primary School
- Highfield Primary School
- Prince Rock Primary School
- Downham School
- Courtlands School
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Sonic Postcards is a new, unique national education programme which is trying to link schools across the country by the medium of sound. It's trying to get Devon students to explore and compare their local sound environments through the composition and exchange - via the internet - sound postcards with other schools in this county and nationwide. The project focuses on the impact of sound on our lives and demonstrates the possibilities for creativity through the manipulation of sounds with technology.
 | | A tudor house in the postcards |
As with an ordinary postcard it offers the opportunity for people to exchange information about their local environments; providing windows into a variety of places, lives and cultures in rural, urban and coastal locations. Each of the 11 schools that took part used different places and sounds depending on their area. Dartington Primary School used the expansive grounds of Dartington Hall, Plym View visited a magnificent Tudor House in Plymouth and the National Marine Aquarium and Courtlands School used the local sounds to give three examples. Initially each project was run by a trained leader who then taught various media skills to teachers from each school to allow them to carry on the project independently. Through a series of sessions, the young people are introduced to their sonic environment to gather sounds to use as the source material for their sonic postcards. They then create their own compositions on the school computers, using free downloadable audio editing software.
 | | A drawn plan from Courtlands School |
These Sonic Postcards are then converted into MP3 files and emailed to other schools involved in the project. In return, the participating school receives Sonic Postcards from across the country and becomes part of a growing network of schools. All the Sonic Postcards are also uploaded onto the Sonic Postcards website. There will also be an exhibition on the 17th and 18th June 2006 at The Brewhouse Arts Space in the Royal William Yard of the Plymouth postcards. Sonic Postcards is run by Sonic Arts Network, the national organisation which explores the art of sound. The project follows both good practice and government guidelines for working with young people. | 
