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Deaf & hard of hearing drum troupe brings rhythm to northeast Wisconsin
It's said music enhances our lives, and the Children of the Sun Drum Troupe is looking to enhance the evening for its audience at Lombardi Middle School in Green Bay.
Cortez Harris, who is part of the troupe, tells FOX 11, "I think it's pretty cool. It's awesome...I get to drum around my best friends."
While some in the audience are hearing the drums clearly, some on the stage are profoundly deaf, and others are hard of hearing.
Jahmes Tony Finlayson is the musical director of the group. Finlayson tells FOX 11 of the students, "They're feeling the vibrations, they're watching one another and they're watching me so that we can all be in synch with one another."
Alvin Horton has been with the troup for five or six years. Alvin tells FOX 11, "I been practicing a long time and I'm very proud of my dances and my drumming."
And the audience response from those who are hard of hearing, and those who aren't was positive.
Second grader Michaela Kihntopf shared her thoughts on the performance: "I think that's pretty cool."
The Children of the Sun Drum Troupe has been around for eight years and is part of the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, based near Milwaukee.
Monday's performance was sponsored by the deaf education & family group, which is run through the Green Bay school district.
"I think this is a good way to open up everybody's eyes that nothing is impossible," said Dawn Hanna, president of the deaf education and family group.
Finalyson tells FOX 11, "When you see how happy the kids are, having a new mode of expression, of self expression, of communicating with the world and when they can see the effect that their music and their expression have on other people, it makes them happy, it boosts their self-esteem, and so when I see that, I get really, really happy."
A performance enjoyed just as much by those in the audience as those on stage.
The Children of the Sun Dance Troupe says it is the only group of its kind in the country. The group performs around the state and generally has about 10 performers, five were able to make it to Monday's performance.
It's said music enhances our lives, and the Children of the Sun Drum Troupe is looking to enhance the evening for its audience at Lombardi Middle School in Green Bay.
Cortez Harris, who is part of the troupe, tells FOX 11, "I think it's pretty cool. It's awesome...I get to drum around my best friends."
While some in the audience are hearing the drums clearly, some on the stage are profoundly deaf, and others are hard of hearing.
Jahmes Tony Finlayson is the musical director of the group. Finlayson tells FOX 11 of the students, "They're feeling the vibrations, they're watching one another and they're watching me so that we can all be in synch with one another."
Alvin Horton has been with the troup for five or six years. Alvin tells FOX 11, "I been practicing a long time and I'm very proud of my dances and my drumming."
And the audience response from those who are hard of hearing, and those who aren't was positive.
Second grader Michaela Kihntopf shared her thoughts on the performance: "I think that's pretty cool."
The Children of the Sun Drum Troupe has been around for eight years and is part of the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, based near Milwaukee.
Monday's performance was sponsored by the deaf education & family group, which is run through the Green Bay school district.
"I think this is a good way to open up everybody's eyes that nothing is impossible," said Dawn Hanna, president of the deaf education and family group.
Finalyson tells FOX 11, "When you see how happy the kids are, having a new mode of expression, of self expression, of communicating with the world and when they can see the effect that their music and their expression have on other people, it makes them happy, it boosts their self-esteem, and so when I see that, I get really, really happy."
A performance enjoyed just as much by those in the audience as those on stage.
The Children of the Sun Dance Troupe says it is the only group of its kind in the country. The group performs around the state and generally has about 10 performers, five were able to make it to Monday's performance.