Professional+Musicians+who+are+Deaf!I"was"inspired"by"a"book"I"read"many"years"ago"called"Good$Vibrations,"an"autobiography"written"by"a"Scottish"woman"called"Evelyn"Glennie."She"admitted"that"it"was"quite"presumptuous"to"write"her"

autobiography"at"the"age"of"22,"but"she"had"an"amazing"story"to"tell."She"is"now"Dame"Evelyn"and"was"

the"first"professional"solo"percussionist"in"the"world,"as"well"as"being"profoundly"deaf."

Evelyn'Glennie"managed"to"be"selected"into"the"Royal"Academy"of"Music"due"to"her"ability"to"lip"read"

extremely"well"and"her"excellent"ability"to"play"percussion."She"removes"her"shoes"when"she"plays"so"

she"can"feel"the"vibrations"through"her"feet,"as"well"as"the"rest"of"the"body."She"describes"how"to"truly"

listen"with"the"whole"body"(see"8:00"on"video"clip"below)."She"says"that"she"“hears”"music"through"her"

hands,"her"arms,"her"cheek"bones,"her"scalp,"her"abdomen,"her"chest"and"her"legs."She"describes"when"

she"asked"a"deaf"child"to"lie"under"the"marimba"and"listen"to"her"play,"comparing"it"to"other"perspectives"

(see"video"clip"at"14:15)."She"describes"that"the"boy"lying"under"the"marimba"will"experience"the"sound"

coming"through"the"resonators"under"each"key"that"an"audience"member"sitting"in"front"of"the"marimba"

would"not"hear."Nor"would"the"performer"who"is"directly"above"the"keys"hear"through"the"resonators."

They"would"experience"the"sound"differently"again."Therefore"sound"is"very"subjective,"depending"on"

where"the"listener"is"situated"in"relationship"to"the"sound."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3V6zNER4g""

She"then"performs"an"amazing"piece"on"the"Marimba."A"nice"segment"starts"at"(28:00)."

But"how"can"a"deaf"person"really"appreciate"music?"What"would"induce"them"to"make"a"career"of"

music?""

Dr"Dean"Shibata,"assistant"professor"of"radiology"at"the"University"of"Washington"conducted""a"study"

which"showed"that"deaf"people"sense"vibrations"in"the"part"of"the"brain"that"others"use"for"hearing."The"

experiment"was""with"a"group"of"deaf"students"and"a"group"of"students"with"normal"hearing."He"used"

fMRI"(functional"magnetic"resonance"imagery)"scans"to"detect"the"brain"response"to"intermittent"

vibrations"on"their"hands."In"a"quote"from"an"article"by"Walter"Neary"on"the"results"of"the"experiment,"

called"Brains$of$deaf$people$rewire$to$“hear”$music"in"2001,"(http://www.washington.edu/news/2001/11/27/brains^of^deaf^people^rewire^to^hear^music/")"he"

reports"that:"

Both"groups"showed"brain"activity"in"the"part"of"the"brain"that"normally"processes"vibrations."

But"in"addition,"the"deaf"students"showed"brain"activity"in"a"golf"ball^sized"area,"the"auditory"

cortex,"otherwise"usually"only"active"during"auditory"stimulation."The"people"with"normal"

hearing"did"not"show"such"brain"activity."

“The"brain"is"incredibly"adaptable."In"someone"who"is"deaf,"the"young"brain"takes"advantage"of"

valuable"real"estate"in"the"brain"by"processing"vibrations"in"the"part"of"the"brain"that"would"

otherwise"be"used"to"process"sound,”"Dr"Shibata"says."

“These"findings"suggest"that"the"experience"deaf"people"have"when"‘feeling’"music"is"similar"to"

the"experience"other"people"have"when"hearing"music."The"perception"of"the"musical"vibrations"

by"the"deaf"is"likely"every"bit"as"real"as"the"equivalent"sounds,"since"they"are"ultimately"

processed"in"the"same"part"of"the"brain,”"

I"decided"to"find"out"if"any"other"deaf"people"were"pursuing"careers"in"music"performance"and"

discovered"Evelyn"Glennie"is"not"alone."

Mandy'Harvey"is"a"jazz"singer"who"lost"her"hearing"while"studying"as"a"Vocal"Major"at"Colorado"State"

University."She"dropped"out"of"college."However,"after"a"year"of"depression,"she"then"realised"that"she"

could"still"play"piano"and"use"her"perfect"pitch"to"sing."She"simply"remembers"how"to"sing"the"notes."She"

has"now"recorded"an"album"and"performs"with"a"jazz"pianist"at"clubs."

Here"is"a"link"to"Harvey"singing"Smile."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQR1uj5LUGU""

Sean'Forbes"lost"his"hearing"at"one"year"of"age."But"both"his"parents"were"musicians"so"he"grew"up"in"a"

household"full"of"music,"either"from"instruments"being"played"or"music"on"the"stereo."He"was"attracted"

to"the"vibrations"and"started"playing"the"drums"at"age"5"and"moved"onto"guitar"and"bass"by"the"time"he"

was"10."

He"later"gravitated"towards"rap"music."After"making"an"American"Sign"Language"music"video"of"

Eminem’s"Lose$Yourself,"he"became"noticed"by"Eminem’s"studio"and"they"helped"him"produce"his"debut"

EP,"I’m$Deaf."This"gained"him"attention"by"BMI"who"have"signed"him"to"a"record"contract."

Here"is"a"link"to"Forbes"singing"I’m$Deaf."

http://www.washington.edu/news/2001/11/27/brains^of^deaf^people^rewire^to^hear^music/""

Forbes"has"turned"his"attention"to"other"deaf"artists"and"has"started"a"non^profit"organisation"called"D^

PAN"(Deaf"Performing"Arts"Network),"which"helps"find"and"promote"creative"opportunities"for"deaf"

artists"in"a"variety"of"fields."He"also"produces"sign"language"videos"of"popular"songs"so"that"everyone"can"

enjoy"them."

Hi4Notes"is"a"group"of"8"students"sponsored"by"a"UK"charity"called"Music$and$the$Deaf$They"collaborate"and"experiment"to"write"songs"that"are"truly"from"the"perspective"of"deaf"musicians. Their"songs"are"often"experimental"in"nature"and"composed"for"the"vibrations"and"sensations"the"young"musicians"receive"as"feedback,"but"they"are"also"pleasing"to"the"listening"audience's"ear."They"were"chosen"to"take"part"in"Music"for"Youth"Schools"Prom"in"the"UK,"an"event"that"brings"together"top"young"musicians"from"

across"the"UK,"where"they"had"the"opportunity"to"perform"to"an"audience"of"thousands"at"Royal"Albert"Hall,"which"is"a"famous"venue"and"cultural"centre"in"Britain."

No"doubt"more"deaf"people"will"be"inspired"to"take"up"music"as"a"hobby"or"profession"with"such"role"models"as"these."