On the NPR TED Radio Hour, Sunday 18th October at 6pm, Newstalk FM

'The Act of Listening'

Listening, to loved ones, strangers, faraway places, is an act of generosity and a source of discovery. In this episode, TED speakers describe how we change when we listen deeply.  

Over 20 years ago, Dave Isay's radio documentary Ghetto Life 101 was broadcast. It let us listen to the voices of people we hardly ever hear, setting a standard for storytellers from all walks of life."Imagine a national homework assignment where every high school student across the country records an interview with an elder over thanksgiving, so that in one single weekend an entire generation of American lives and experiences are captured."

Dave Isay started StoryCorps with a recording booth in Grand Central Terminal, and an open invitation for people to interview one another. Since then, it's turned into a massive archive of intimate voices and a living testament to the power of listening.

Sound artist Honor Harger spent the last few years listening to the stars and recording some of the sounds of space. "Space itself sounds like an undifferentiated hissing noise". Honor shares what Jupiter, the Sun and even the big bang sounds like. 

During the 1980's, Rev. Jeffrey Brown was watching his neighborhood get overrun with drugs and violence. He decided to listen to the young people in the community, not preach to them, in order to bring about change.

Percussionist and recording artist Evelyn Glennie is almost completely deaf, which means she listens to music with her body, not her ears. "I hear it through my hands, through my arms, cheekbones, scalp, my tummy, chest and legs." 

The TED Radio Hour, Sunday's from 6pm on Newstalk 106-108 FM. 

Listen Back to TED Radio Hour 'The Act of Listening' here