Hearing people always assume that there is only one way to enjoy music, and that is by listening/ hearing to it. In a world dominated and driven by able bodied privilege, that assumption is prevalent, and when a deaf person shows up at a concert, heads turn. However, deaf people can enjoy music in ways that differ from how hearing people enjoy music, but they can definitely derive pleasure out of it.
First of all, deafness does not mean that someone does not hear anything at all – there are varying levels of deafness. Second, deaf people can feel the vibrations produced by the music being played and consume those vibrations through their body. The humming sound produced by picking a bass string or the boom of the drums can be felt very easily by them. The lyrics evoke different types of feelings, and the combination of vibrations and lyrics is how deaf people enjoy music. Someone who wears hearing aids or Cochrane implants may have some enhanced levels of hearings but for those who don’t, they turn up the volume so they can feel the vibrations from beats and bass more strongly as they read the lyrics.
Watch the video below to see how a deaf person how she hears and experiences music.
Concerts for deaf people are a different experience. Typically the music at concerts is very loud, and that can damage hearing aids and someone’s hearing. In such a situation, deaf people turn off their hearing aids which may make them hear music even less but then they enjoy the music through amplified vibrations being produced by large speakers around them. It is also common for bands/ musicians to have sign language interpreters who sign song lyrics for their deaf audience. This way, deaf people feel the music and also get to know the words to the songs!
Here’s an example of a sign language interpreter at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.
However, deaf people don’t have to just depend upon vibrations and sign language interpreters to enjoy music. D-PAN (The Deaf Performing Arts Network), is a not for profit that strives to make music and music culture more accessible to deaf people. D-PAN recreates music videos of popular songs, and these videos have deaf and hard of hearing actors who express song lyrics through ASL. D-PAN does a great job of including an audience (deaf people) in an art form that primarily caters to a hearing audience, as well as give recognition to deaf and hard of hearing artists everywhere.
But wait, there’s more! Here’s Sean Forbes, co-founder of D-PAN, a deaf musician himself, singing and also signing the words in this video.
In essence, yes, deaf people can not only hear but also create music. The way they interact with and consume music is different – they feel vibrations from the music, they read signs from sign language interpreters at concerts, and not for profits like D-PAN make sure music and music culture is accessible to deaf people.
As Sean says in his video above, “Something inside me is so intense, evidently it is bringing out my sixth sense”.
I saw a headphone here > http://www.giftick.com/raj/78/ which says deaf people can hear from it. I don't believe this. But they say this headphone is fitted on cheekbones instead of ear and sound signals are passed through vibration of cheekbones. Do you guys think this is worth trying for deaf people?
They dont work im deaf and still with this special headset that u put behind your ears and in front of your ears on your cheek bones to by pass your ear drumbs still give the deaf no ability to hear.
If a piece of music is entirely translated into a form accessible by another sense, can people who are deaf learn to experience the music through this means?
Do you know of any research related to this question?
I think that sign language tends to demonstrate that it is possible to translate the input from auditory to visual and still end up with something meaningful. Actually, the existence and effectiveness of sign language hints at the possibility of translating something even more basic than information to another sense- that is- meaning.
Thanks
There is an android app that goes by the name of VibePlayer. This app has a technology that allows people to create vibration data for sound in audio / video files. People can use this app to create vibration data and deaf people can benefit from that, I guess.
Have other modalities besides tactile vibration been investigated for the purpose of ‘translating’ music for the deaf into information accessible through other senses?
There are already videos on youtube that translate in a note-by-note fashion music into a moving visual format replete with color, shape, and interpretative groupings of notes. To me, this seems like a promising avenue of approach to the problem. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddbxFi3-UO4
Clearly, all the information is present in the visual form. (Maybe not so clear in the tactile/vibration mode.) The question is whether the brain is able to interpret stimuli presented in this fashion or whether the auditory channel is somehow a ‘privileged’ frame of reference.
I would appreciate your reaction to the above.
This idea is interesting. It is not as tangible as using vibration. Though, imagine if both technologies were combined? That video with vibration data. So, more senses are involved. I think that would work. Though, the squares on the video would have to be bigger.
Well, the app that allows for vibration is already available and you can create those bars videos using another tool. So, I guess it is about someone making the videos plus doing the vibrations for them.
Surely something which allowed the deaf to meaningfully experience music would be important- possibly making a significant improvement in the life of many people.
My name is Marlise Carter. I’m a grade 8 student from Port Elgin Regional School New Brunswick Canada.
As one of my school projects I have to ask a question about something that I’m passionate about, this is what we call a passion project. I am a musician, I play the fiddle, piano, guitar…etc and music is my passion! The 2 main questions on my project are “what would the world be like if there was no music?” and “does music exist in every culture around the world?” These questions have led me to think about “how can people who are hearing impaired listen to music?”
I know that people who have trouble hearing are still able to find the feel of the music, but I was wondering if you knew any strategies on this topic. This would also give my class and myself a chance to expirance this first hand.
Hi Marlise
Perhaps you could use the suggestions/comments of Jack and Jim Freund to devise an ‘experiment’ with deaf and hearing people: Does presenting music with 1) a visual translation (see http://stephenmalinowski.com/) *and/or* 2) a vibrational translation (VibePlayer for Android).
enhance the experience of music?
I can tell you for myself that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddbxFi3-UO4 most definitely enhances my experience of the music- and many more like it.
I lost my hearing, when I was ten years old and, after approx. six weeks in a residential school for the Deaf, I was already becoming fluent in both American Sign Language, which was the main language, used by the students and Signed English, which I still presume was relatively new, at the time.
I’ve made this statement to a lot of people, who will, then, act as if it must be simple. Until I explain how … Everybody signed – from first thing in the morning until lights out.
Four of my five teachers signed English, while the Mathematics teacher, who was Deaf, himself, utilized ASL, never was difficult for me to understand.
Also, you missed one group, above. They are the Association of Late Deafened Adults, who, like I, are rejected by the members of the Deaf culture, as well as no longer fitting in, with the hearing culture. They are made to feel as if they don’t fit in, anywhere.
If anyone is an inspiration to deaf people it must be Evelyn Glennie.
I met Evelyn a few times, she told me she has been profoundly deaf all her life, but it did not stop her performing with bands and orchestra’s around the world, she performers with bare feet. Now I am also deaf i have nothing but admiration for Evelyn and all the work she has done for deaf people as well as giving us amazing performances….
I saw a headphone here > http://www.giftick.com/raj/78/ which says deaf people can hear from it. I don't believe this. But they say this headphone is fitted on cheekbones instead of ear and sound signals are passed through vibration of cheekbones. Do you guys think this is worth trying for deaf people?
Think so
They dont work im deaf and still with this special headset that u put behind your ears and in front of your ears on your cheek bones to by pass your ear drumbs still give the deaf no ability to hear.
If a piece of music is entirely translated into a form accessible by another sense, can people who are deaf learn to experience the music through this means?
Do you know of any research related to this question?
For an example (there are many) of such a translation, see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4KjUwL3lE
I think that sign language tends to demonstrate that it is possible to translate the input from auditory to visual and still end up with something meaningful. Actually, the existence and effectiveness of sign language hints at the possibility of translating something even more basic than information to another sense- that is- meaning.
Thanks
Jim
There is an android app that goes by the name of VibePlayer. This app has a technology that allows people to create vibration data for sound in audio / video files. People can use this app to create vibration data and deaf people can benefit from that, I guess.
Have other modalities besides tactile vibration been investigated for the purpose of ‘translating’ music for the deaf into information accessible through other senses?
There are already videos on youtube that translate in a note-by-note fashion music into a moving visual format replete with color, shape, and interpretative groupings of notes. To me, this seems like a promising avenue of approach to the problem. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddbxFi3-UO4
Clearly, all the information is present in the visual form. (Maybe not so clear in the tactile/vibration mode.) The question is whether the brain is able to interpret stimuli presented in this fashion or whether the auditory channel is somehow a ‘privileged’ frame of reference.
I would appreciate your reaction to the above.
This idea is interesting. It is not as tangible as using vibration. Though, imagine if both technologies were combined? That video with vibration data. So, more senses are involved. I think that would work. Though, the squares on the video would have to be bigger.
Sounds right! Now. Who’s going to do it?
Well, the app that allows for vibration is already available and you can create those bars videos using another tool. So, I guess it is about someone making the videos plus doing the vibrations for them.
Surely something which allowed the deaf to meaningfully experience music would be important- possibly making a significant improvement in the life of many people.
Why would it not be able to?
We appreciate rainbows, art video etc:
Why would this stimuli be any different,
hearing or not.
Dear Assistive Technology Blog
My name is Marlise Carter. I’m a grade 8 student from Port Elgin Regional School New Brunswick Canada.
As one of my school projects I have to ask a question about something that I’m passionate about, this is what we call a passion project. I am a musician, I play the fiddle, piano, guitar…etc and music is my passion! The 2 main questions on my project are “what would the world be like if there was no music?” and “does music exist in every culture around the world?” These questions have led me to think about “how can people who are hearing impaired listen to music?”
I know that people who have trouble hearing are still able to find the feel of the music, but I was wondering if you knew any strategies on this topic. This would also give my class and myself a chance to expirance this first hand.
Thank you for all of your help
Marlise Carter
Hi Marlise
Perhaps you could use the suggestions/comments of Jack and Jim Freund to devise an ‘experiment’ with deaf and hearing people: Does presenting music with 1) a visual translation (see http://stephenmalinowski.com/) *and/or* 2) a vibrational translation (VibePlayer for Android).
enhance the experience of music?
I can tell you for myself that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddbxFi3-UO4 most definitely enhances my experience of the music- and many more like it.
I lost my hearing, when I was ten years old and, after approx. six weeks in a residential school for the Deaf, I was already becoming fluent in both American Sign Language, which was the main language, used by the students and Signed English, which I still presume was relatively new, at the time.
I’ve made this statement to a lot of people, who will, then, act as if it must be simple. Until I explain how … Everybody signed – from first thing in the morning until lights out.
Four of my five teachers signed English, while the Mathematics teacher, who was Deaf, himself, utilized ASL, never was difficult for me to understand.
Also, you missed one group, above. They are the Association of Late Deafened Adults, who, like I, are rejected by the members of the Deaf culture, as well as no longer fitting in, with the hearing culture. They are made to feel as if they don’t fit in, anywhere.
If anyone is an inspiration to deaf people it must be Evelyn Glennie.
I met Evelyn a few times, she told me she has been profoundly deaf all her life, but it did not stop her performing with bands and orchestra’s around the world, she performers with bare feet. Now I am also deaf i have nothing but admiration for Evelyn and all the work she has done for deaf people as well as giving us amazing performances….
Re meditation discs using music,, can these help deaf people, if they can’t actually hear the music?