⏰ It’s not too late to make a podcast for NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge

Check out 6 early entries we love for inspiration! [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( April 23, 2023 This week, a friendly reminder about NPR Ed's annual [Student Podcast Challenge](. LA Johnson/NPR Hello there! This is Janet from the education desk, and I’ll be taking over the NPR Ed newsletter for the next two weeks, because … it’s crunch time! We have one week left to accept entries for this year’s [Student Podcast Challenge]( Last month, I shared [six of our favorite early entries]( and since then, we’ve gotten over 1,300 podcasts from students across the country. Your class might be wrapping their submissions – remember to get them in by April 28 – or maybe you’re wondering if it’s worth it or even possible to start your podcast now. Lucky you, I can confirm: one week is PLENTY of time to put something together that’s meaningful to you and sounds good to us! Remember, we don’t expect anyone to be experts! As you can hear in our early entries selection, podcasts come in all shapes and sizes. Some tell stories, lots are funny. Some feature people having conversations, others are informative, or teach listeners about a specific topic. So here’s a quick refresher on getting started! Our full guide can be found [here](. 📝 Getting started - Structure: Choosing a good story is half the battle. Before you hit record, I recommend asking yourself these [guiding questions]( from NPR’s training team. - Sound: Make a list of sounds you want in your story. If your story is about birds, for example, you can record yourself walking, the sound of birds and any comments you make on your bird watch. - Toolbox: Note that the tools come last in this list! We love telling students, all you need is your smartphone and a computer with audio editing software. (There are many free options too, like Audacity). 🎤 On the microphone - Interviews: If you’re interviewing someone for your podcast, make sure to do research and write questions in advance. And try to ask questions that go beyond a yes or no answer. This is super important: try to find somewhere quiet for the chat to make sure we can hear both you and your interviewee. - Voicing: Whether you are talking to someone or recording narrations, you want to sound natural and energetic. And remember, you want to sound like yourself and not a “serious newsperson.” 🔊 Audio editing - Volume control: The bottom line is, we would love to hear your stories! And sometimes we get very quiet audio, or stories that seem overpowered by music. So please make sure to listen back and check on your sound levels. - Choosing the best audio: Before you start editing, we recommend you listen to all the audio you’ve gathered and make note of what material you have to work with. I promise this will save you time! - Using natural sound: In addition to your lovely talking voice, any other sounds that set the tone, or ambient sounds as we call them, can really enhance your podcast. This can be sounds from nature, or everyday noises like your alarm clock or even the sound of your room! Again, just make sure none of these overpower your voice. And if you’re still feeling unsure, go listen to these [early entries we love]( Trying to create something similar to what you enjoy listening to is how we all got our start in audio. So, in other words, you got this! [Listen to early entries we love]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI – a quick brag… NPR Ed won a Gracie! Last week, our series about getting a college degree in prison won an [award from the Alliance for Women in Media](. You can listen to the stories [here](. The series, reported by our own Elissa Nadworny, produced by Lauren Migaki and edited by Steve Drummond, took two years and many trips to a prison in Norco, Calif., to report. This type of in-depth reporting is made possible thanks to public radio supporters like you. Not a donor yet? Please make a gift today. Until next week, take care everyone. — [Janet Woojeong Lee]( Assistant Producer, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]