Sound School Podcast

Епизоде

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  Old School Sound School – 9/11 and The Sonic Memorial Project 08.09.2026 1ч 7мин

  Sound School is launching a new series, Old School Sound School featuring classic and rare documentaries 20-plus years old. The series begins by marking the 25th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in September of 2001. The Sonic Memorial Project is a remarkable, hour-long documentary from The Kitchen Sisters piece produced in 2002 on the very first anniversary of the attack. This is The Kitchens Sisters at their best. 
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  Coming Soon: Old School Sound School 25.08.2026 4мин

  Rob has a small but mighty collection of old audio documentaries on CDs. And even more audio files crammed on his computer. "Bazillions," he says, "and it's time share the ear candy!" In September, Rob's launching a series called Old School Sound School featuring deep cuts and classic docs and sound works from 20+ years ago. Please listen. Your ears will thank you.
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  Revisiting: Remember to Breathe 11.08.2026 8мин

  A breath may seem like the most insignificant detail in an audio story. But, actually, the opposite is true. For proof, all you have to do is listen to stories where the breaths are cut out. On this episode of Sound School, a primer on editing breaths. Perfect for people teaching audio storytelling. 
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  Sounds Cool! 28.07.2026 17мин

  Sounds Cool!
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  Elizabeth Arnold — Have Mic, Will Travel 14.07.2026 21мин

  "(An) unstoppable, one-of-a-kind reporter." That's how NPR reporter Elizabeth Arnold is described in her recent obituary. Hear what that means in a story she reported at the North Pole, where she says "Nature doesn't want you here.... Maybe that's part of the pull. You come to defy it." I'm pleased to honor Elizabeth on the latest episode of Sound School. 
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  Meditating with Platypuses, Penguins, and Wombats 30.06.2026 20мин

  Nocturnal Worlds is certainly a curious podcast. A unique mix of science, nature, meditation, and lush soundscapes from Audiocraft, an Australian production company. Why mix science education and meditation? Olivia O'Flynn, the host and producer of Nocturnal Worlds, lays out the how and why of the show. 
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  Deploy This One Tiny Maneuver to Improve Audio Essays 16.06.2026 17мин

  Cloe Axelson, a senior editor at WBUR, was feeling like the essays she produced that were written by listeners weren't sounding conversational enough -- until she deployed this one simple trick. It's a trick any producer could use to help narrators sound more like themselves.
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  Witness to an Execution 02.06.2026 27мин

  How powerful can audio storytelling be? So powerful that distraught listeners stand-up, wave their arms, and yell "Turn it off! Turn it off!" That's how good the documentary we're featuring on Sound School is. 
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  Jad and FayFay Talk "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man" 19.05.2026 45мин

  Jad Abumrad and FayFay Odudu, drop some valuable audio storytelling reporting and production insights on the latest episode of Sound School. Jad and FayFay recently earned a Peabody Award for "Fela Kuti: Fear No Man," the podcast about Fela, the Nigerian saxophone player and political activist. Jad and FayFay sat down with Lesedi Mogoathle in February for an online chat sponsored by Radio Workshop. It's a valuable conversation you'll want to hear. 
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  Revisiting: Nausea and Forehead Mics - Reporting in Zero Gravity 05.05.2026 20мин

  Almost every reporting trip has its pitfalls. Andrew Leland's story for Radiolab in 2022 had more than most including nausea, flying in the equivalent of zero gravity, and his blindness. On this encore episode of Sound School, Andrew lays out how he navigated it all. 
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  Salman Khan’s March to “More Muslim” 21.04.2026 18мин

  You could describe it as a long walk. Or a climb up a hill. But, it seems like Salman Khan's path to launching a new podcast was more like a slow, persistent march. Hear how Salman practically willed "More Muslim" into existence on the latest Sound School. It's inspiring. 
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  Silence Is Worth Your Time 07.04.2026 23мин

  Back when I worked at radio stations, people joked "Silence is bad juju." We're not supposed to include much, if any, silence in audio stories -- for broadcast or podcast. Noam Hassenfeld went the opposite direction and embraced silence -- lots of it! -- on a recent episode of Unexplainable, the science podcast from Vox. Noam explains how he craftily deployed silence in his storytelling on this episode of Sound School. 
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  Revisiting: A Cow A Day 24.03.2026 25мин

  The first question I had to ask Pejk Malinovsky was "Why the hell did you think that would make for a good radio story?" Of course it was. Pejk followed a cow for eleven hours recording her every move and turned it into a 30-minute documentary. Naturally, Pejk answered saying "A cow a day keeps the boredom away." Find out what he means on this episode of Sound School. 
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  Dialing In the Audio Flux Podcast 10.03.2026 33мин

  Julie Shapiro and John Delore made a pilot for the Audio Flux podcast. Okay, now what? How did they go from pilot in 2024 to podcast in late 2025? On this episode of Sound School, a deep dive comparing the Audio Flux pilot to the first episode of the podcast and the thinking behind Julie and John's production choices.
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  The Naked Pitch 24.02.2026 13мин

  Short Cuts said no. WNYC said no. Hell Gate said no. Even Transom said no. Finally, after about six months of pitching, Will Coley heard "Yes." Will regales us with his story of how he made it to "yes" with his pitch about public nudity on the latest Sound School. 
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  Revisiting - Don't Write, Tell 10.02.2026 12мин

  Noel King says first things first. Before writing a story, take a friend to a bar and tell them the story. On this archive episode of Sound School, Noel says that's the approach she took back when she reported for Planet Money and it worked like a charm. Her writing was more like telling. 
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  Reporting on Emotions in South Africa 27.01.2026 18мин

  Twenty-one year old reporter Kabir Jagram says young men in South Africa are stoic. Holding back emotions is a survival mechanism in a country wracked with youth unemployment and that can lead to serious mental health issues. So, how then, as a young man himself struggling with expressing feelings, did Kabir manage to produce a captivating radio documentary about emotions? 
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  What If the Main Character Narrates? 13.01.2026 19мин

  We're starting the new year with an antidote to 2025 -- two episodes featuring inspiring early-career producers. On this episode, 28-year-old Anna Van Dine from Vermont who deployed an unusual storytelling maneuver that Rob hasn't heard in years. 
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  Revisiting: Two From the Road in Nashville 06.01.2026 25мин

  Here's your New Year's resolution: Attend a Transom Traveling Workshop. That's right. You know you wanna. The year 2026 is the year to give yourself a treat -- a little radio self-love. For inspiration, here are two stellar stories produced by new and emerging audio producers at a Transom workshop in Nashville back in 2019. 
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  It’s Magic 16.12.2025 15мин

  If you're just beginning in audio storytelling or have some experience under your belt, you could toil alone making and making and making stories hoping to get better. And that might be the exact right thing for you. But, if you'd like a hand up from experienced producers, sign up for a Transom Traveling Workshop. For inspiration, listen to the story Champika Fernando produced at a Workshop this summer. And be sure to listen for the surprising maneuver they pulled at the end of the piece.