tattybogles
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- Dec 6, 2010
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I wonder if you might be able to help me out? I am a hearing student at the Community College of Rhode Island in Newport. I am taking ASL 1 and thoroughly enjoying it. We have a research paper due tomorrow evening. My chosen research topic is Music and Dance in Deaf Culture. I was first inspired by a documentary I watched (It's All Gone Pete Tong) about a DJ named Frankie Wilde who lost his hearing and later learned sign language and made a whole new album that was highly acclaimed. For me (a hearing person in ASL 1 at the community college in Newport, RI), the obvious starting point for my research was with Beethoven. I watched a documentary about him and learned about the testimony he wrote about his experience being deaf (I don't capitalize it here because at the time there wasn't such a thing as Deaf Culture). It is a very raw piece of emotional expression and one he wrote only half way into his prolific career. Next, I did some Google searches to find more Deaf musicians. I came across the YouTube video of Sean Forbes' "I'm Deaf," which I really like and tried to learn to give as a presentation at the end of class. I managed to get through the part where he's "deliver-----ing," but then realized to perform that would take me as much time to learn as it would to write a proper research paper. Since the assignment is research paper.... well, nevertheless, I had that song stuck in my head for days. It comes back to me now as I think of it. I also rented the film "Touch the Sound" about the incredible percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who - to a hearing person - doesn't seem Deaf at all. I have read scientific studies and watched the performances on your website. I am very interested and... well, that's about where I am right now.
I will just list some questions here and if you can get back to me with some answers today, that would be excellent. Obviously, the more thorough the answers, the better. If you can please note who answered what, that would also be very helpful. If there's time and people are interested, maybe you can circulate this email to everyone in the company (?). My paper is actually due tomorrow evening and I'd love to be able to add some of "y'all's" thoughts, but if you'd prefer to take more time answering them, that's fine too. I'm still interested.
Forgive me if any of these questions seem insensitive or ignorant. I am trying to, as best I can as a hearing person, to understand how you see and experience the world.
1. Are you (and your parents) Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing?
2. Did you go to a school where music played a part in the curriculum? Did you take music lessons?
3. How important to you (and your parents) is music?
4. What got you inspired to do more with music?
5. Evelyn Glennie says she can hear through touch. She says sound can almost hit you in the face. Do you have any thoughts?
6. Evelyn Glennie also says she believes what we know as the "sixth sense" comes in to replace a sense that is otherwise lacking. I also heard Sean Forbes mention "sixth sense" in his "I'm Deaf" rap. What do you think/feel?
7. There was a study done by an assistant professor at the University of WA who watched brain activity in ten Deaf people and eleven hearing people when they were each given vibration stimulus on their fingertips. Both groups showed activity in the part of our brains that register vibrations, but only in the Deaf people's brains was there a lot of activity in the hearing section of the brain. Thoughts?
8. Do you believe you can hone those hearing skills if exposed to music at a younger age?
9. If a song gets stuck in my head, they must do in yours too... when they do, do you have the signs rolling around in your mind over and over or are they the impressions the song leaves in your mind? That's related to another question I have, which is more off-topic -- when you dream, do you communicate in sign language?
10. If you had the option to medically alter your hearing to be more like a "hearing" person, would you? Why or why not?
11. In the documentary Sound and Fury, the Deaf mother who did not want to give her child the cochlear implant replied to her sister-in-law, "Why should I care about music, I can't hear it?!" I wonder if she had been exposed to it as a young Deaf child, maybe she would feel differently? Or maybe there are some people who just don't get anything out of music. I'm not sure what the question is here, but I was kind of sad to hear her say that after reading and watching so many other Deaf people who have got a lot of joy from it. Maybe you have thoughts. P.S. I hated that documentary on a few levels.
Right now, I can't think of any other questions, but I am open to any and all thoughts/additional points you'd like to make. Thank you so much for your time and energy in helping me with this.
I've already heard from Sean Forbes and his DPAN associate Adrean. I'd love to hear from you....
I will just list some questions here and if you can get back to me with some answers today, that would be excellent. Obviously, the more thorough the answers, the better. If you can please note who answered what, that would also be very helpful. If there's time and people are interested, maybe you can circulate this email to everyone in the company (?). My paper is actually due tomorrow evening and I'd love to be able to add some of "y'all's" thoughts, but if you'd prefer to take more time answering them, that's fine too. I'm still interested.
Forgive me if any of these questions seem insensitive or ignorant. I am trying to, as best I can as a hearing person, to understand how you see and experience the world.
1. Are you (and your parents) Deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing?
2. Did you go to a school where music played a part in the curriculum? Did you take music lessons?
3. How important to you (and your parents) is music?
4. What got you inspired to do more with music?
5. Evelyn Glennie says she can hear through touch. She says sound can almost hit you in the face. Do you have any thoughts?
6. Evelyn Glennie also says she believes what we know as the "sixth sense" comes in to replace a sense that is otherwise lacking. I also heard Sean Forbes mention "sixth sense" in his "I'm Deaf" rap. What do you think/feel?
7. There was a study done by an assistant professor at the University of WA who watched brain activity in ten Deaf people and eleven hearing people when they were each given vibration stimulus on their fingertips. Both groups showed activity in the part of our brains that register vibrations, but only in the Deaf people's brains was there a lot of activity in the hearing section of the brain. Thoughts?
8. Do you believe you can hone those hearing skills if exposed to music at a younger age?
9. If a song gets stuck in my head, they must do in yours too... when they do, do you have the signs rolling around in your mind over and over or are they the impressions the song leaves in your mind? That's related to another question I have, which is more off-topic -- when you dream, do you communicate in sign language?
10. If you had the option to medically alter your hearing to be more like a "hearing" person, would you? Why or why not?
11. In the documentary Sound and Fury, the Deaf mother who did not want to give her child the cochlear implant replied to her sister-in-law, "Why should I care about music, I can't hear it?!" I wonder if she had been exposed to it as a young Deaf child, maybe she would feel differently? Or maybe there are some people who just don't get anything out of music. I'm not sure what the question is here, but I was kind of sad to hear her say that after reading and watching so many other Deaf people who have got a lot of joy from it. Maybe you have thoughts. P.S. I hated that documentary on a few levels.
Right now, I can't think of any other questions, but I am open to any and all thoughts/additional points you'd like to make. Thank you so much for your time and energy in helping me with this.
I've already heard from Sean Forbes and his DPAN associate Adrean. I'd love to hear from you....
Geeze :roll:
(although in my youth I did learn to play the bass) But that is the heartbeat percussive part.
