Rebecca A Withey: How things are positively changing for deaf children and music

Last month I created a sign song video resource for schools to use during Deaf Awareness Week. Working online meant I could reach all types of schools across the UK and over 90 schools and educational settings signed up to take part in my sign song workshop.

I didn’t expect to receive so much interest but it was incredible to see and hear from so many deaf students who enjoyed both sign language and music.

After the event I received videos and photos of students signing songs together. There were BSL users, those who use SSE and even children who didn’t know how to sign at all. There were deaf and hearing children working together too. I received one particular comment from a parent that really touched me and I am sharing it below,

“Dear Rebecca, *J really enjoyed taking part in your sign music workshop. He is the only one who is deaf at his school and he has never shown an interest in music before (though to be honest we have never really thought about it as we didn’t think it would be something he wanted to do.)

J was so happy to see someone deaf signing and he was able to help his friends with the signs during the workshop. He came home feeling so confident and proud of his deafness. He now wants to learn more songs to enjoy with his friends so we are going to start looking on YouTube!!”

Receiving this comment really brought a smile to my face and I hope that more deaf children who have been denied the chance to participate in music and performance events will be given opportunities to take part. Who knows where it could lead to!

Only last week I was working in London and I came across a deaf teenager who had just landed a lead role in a play. She seemed really pleased to meet me with smiles all round and soon revealed that she had grown up watching YouTube sign song videos. As a result of this she made a vow to herself that she would one day be a professional performer. Now here she was in London, rehearsing for her very own lead role – acting and signing songs!

In addition to that lovely news, only last week the Young Voices choir  – the largest choir in the world – attempted to break two Guinness World Records (as previously written about on the site) during their live streamed concert. One of the records attempting to be broken was for the largest simultaneous signed song.

Not only were choir members invited to sing the song, they were now given the resources to sign along too. Schools worldwide, including those in the USA, Australia, across Europe and even in Africa were able to learn the BSL for the song as well as or instead of singing the English lyrics.

In the 25 years of Young Voices Concerts, a signed version for choir members has never before been created so this was a great achievement. It seems the past year has seen lots of changes taking place, and not only in the deaf community.

In the deaf community there have been more discussions than ever before about equality, representation and the breaking down of outdated ideals. One term in particular that is being discarded is the use of ‘d/Deaf’ to describe a deaf person.

In the past, deaf people who worked in the field of music would be referred to as being ‘lowercase d’ deaf people; people who were ‘hearing, really’ or ‘not that deaf.’ Thankfully, it’s gradually becoming more accepted and understood that a passion for music can exist very happily alongside a love for sign language, a healthy deaf identity and a respected place in the deaf community.

We want deaf generations to come to have no limits as to what they can achieve. So by including them in activities relating to music whilst celebrating deaf culture and sign language, we can hopefully prevent future occasions where deaf people are ostracised by their very own peers or excluded from events deemed not for them.

Of course, not every deaf child will want to take part in music or signed song. But to deny them the opportunity to participate is to maintain an unhealthy and incorrect stereotype that deaf people cannot (or should not!?) enjoy music. Judging from the thousands of deaf children I’ve met and worked with over the past 15 years, I am very confident we can put that misconception to bed.

I’ve seen deaf BSL users with no access to sound delight in feeling the pounds of a booming bass and dance along rhythmically. I’ve also seen quiet, oral deaf children enjoy learning signs for words they had previously mis-heard and really come out of their shell!

Music is not the enemy of the deaf community. Ignorance is.

I am really excited to see things changing for deaf children in our community and hopeful that they will be given more tools than we ever were to try different things all the while being more free from stereotype than we have known.

Wishing you all a happy start to the summer.

 

Rebecca A Withey www.rawithey.com
You can access my free sign song video resource here: https://youtu.be/AcpjuhDPe_0

Catch up with my news here: https://www.facebook.com/Rebecca-A-Withey-19873084695927