Can Deaf and Hard of Hearing people enjoy music? Of course! They can have as much enjoyment, but experience it in a way that may be different from you and me.
How People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Experience Music
When one or more of the senses are reduced, others are heightened. For those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, the loss of hearing typically comes with enhanced sight and touch. People who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing capitalize on their heightened sense of touch in enjoying music by feeling the vibrations of the bass and beat of the music. How people experience music also depends on the level of hearing they have. For example, some people have a reduced range of pitches they can hear, while others have reduced clarity. This means that enjoying music can be a unique experience for everyone. For those individuals who use vibrations to “listen” to music, they can remove their shoes to lessen the absorption of vibrations, using a balloon or stand closer to or touch the speaker.
Musicians who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
So now that we learned how people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing can enjoy music, what about making music? Well, one of the most famous musicians of all time was Deaf - Beethoven. Although Beethoven gained deafness early in his adult life and could remember certain sounds, he needed to adapt to be able to compose later in life. Beethoven, like many others with varying degrees of being able to hear, relied on vibrations. He would hold a pencil in between his teeth and have one end touching the soundboard so the vibrations would flow through face and head. Despite gaining deafness later in his career, he still was able to create and perform his masterpieces and go down in history as the greatest musician.
Currently, there are still many musicians who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing such as Dame Evelyn Glennie, Wawa’s World (Warren Snipe), and Sean Forbes. Dame Evelyn Glennie is a percussionist who doesn’t wear shoes when performing or creating music to be able to feel the vibrations. Warren Snipe, or more commonly known in the music world as Wawa’s World, and Sean Forbes are both American rappers who have been in the music scene for about 15 years. Check out some of their music below!
Wawa’s World:
Sean Forbes:
Making Concerts and Music more Accessible
Although music can be enjoyed through feeling the vibrations or hearing the beat or melody, for some, the lyrics hold most of the enjoyment. Sign Language interpreters at concerts or in Youtube videos with captioning subtitles for lyrics allow for people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing to have the full music experience. Captions on music videos typically don’t capture the tone or message the lyrics are trying to convey, whereas sign language can. Concerts can be more accessible for those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing when Sign Language interpreters are available, especially since some who rely on hearing aids may opt to turn them off to reduce the impact on their hearing. ASL translation for music requires special training to be able to effectively convey the meaning and rhythm of a song. Check out the video below of Amber Galloway Gallego’s ASL interpretation of “Chandelier” by Sia.