Measure For A Mayfly offers two or more humans suggestions for exploring an outdoor environment together by focused listening followed by intentional sounding and then listening again. It was intended for realization in a large treed area, with the possibility of finding places where one is not seen, and with a soundscape that allows listening to one another over distance. (It is also an interesting way to investigate a very large and complex indoor environment that is relatively quiet and unpopulated.)

Each person brings a simple treble wind instrument for calling, such as a recorder, recorder of flute head, ocarina, slide whistle, wood or bamboo flute, homemade whistles, or other. A variation is to use vocal calls. Each person finds and remembers a simple call that can be repeated occasionally. The sound of each call should be distinct, and should have an amplitude that would make it audible over the same distance as a sharp vocal shout.

A Measure for a Mayfly is in four parts: Preparation, Silent walking in, Dispersing and Calling, and Silent walking out. A simple score gives guidelines for attention and intention in breathing, looking, listening, and slow walking. After the Preparation and making of calls, participants forgo talking or visual signalling. Each section uses a sonic cue.

Participants walk into the chosen environment slowly and silently. At a sonic cue, the group slowly disperses in all directions to explore individually, while using their calls to remain in sonic contact with at least two other group members. At a sonic cue, the group uses the sparse sound of their calls to come back together as a group physically and sonically. At a final sonic cue, the group slowly and silently walks back out of the location.