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Katie Venne
MUED380: Music Within Deaf Culture and The Implications for Music Education
December 14, 2017

Rationale
Over 75% of deaf or hard of hearing students are mainstreamed in public education
programs (Antia, 2013). Based on this statistic, it is impossible to believe that no deaf or
hard of hearing students will ever be in a music classroom. Because music appears to rely
on "hearing" music, the possibility of having a student who is hard of hearing or deaf seems
minimal to beginning teachers. While many deaf and hard of hearing students do not take
music classes under the same assumptions, many enjoy singing, and expressing themselves
musically, and being involved in music through religious and holiday festivities (Darrow,
1993). Music can be expressed and felt in many ways, therefore, there are multiple ways
for every student to experience music in a music classroom. Through this research, I hope
to learn more about how deaf and hard of hearing students experience music. In my music
education classes, we have briefly discussed teaching students who are deaf or hard of
hearing within a music classroom, but have not discussed at great length what this may
entail. Through this research, I hope to also become more familiar with deaf culture and its
implications for music education.
Most research examining music and deafness place these two factors in opposition
(Churchill, 2016). While research has been done to examine the terminology surrounding
the culture, options, or the ways that music may be experienced or accepted within the
culture, there is still much to be learned about the cultural impact that deaf culture has on
music education. For these reasons, I am interested in researching musics place in the deaf
culture. Who/ what is deaf culture and how can educators support culturally valued music
making within young deaf learners? What implications do values within the deaf
culture/community have on music education?
Through research, the deaf culture concept is defined as the idea that the
community has its own ways of life mediated through sign language (Ladd, 2003). Deaf
culture consists of two concepts of identity, deaf culture as a community and group, and the
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individual identity of a person who is deaf or hard of hearing (Holmes, 2017). Based on
these differing identities, two vastly different perceptions of music within the deaf
community are observed: music and deafness should not be placed in opposition, and
music is imposing hearing culture on people of deaf culture.
A book that discusses deaf culture and other factors related to it has become
monumental in this literary study. The author defines the deaf culture concept and other
information including CIs and the Bi-Bi approach to education (Ladd, 2003). What is most
important within the text, however, is that the author discusses the opinions and beliefs
that the deaf culture has on these issues. The Deaf culture concept is defined as the idea
that the deaf community has its own ways of life mediated through sign language. CIs
(Cochlear Implants) are electromagnetic devices that stimulate the auditory nerve to
recreate the sounds originating outside of the ear. The book discusses the controversial
subject and how the deaf community views the technology as an unethical experiment used
on non-consenting deaf children whose parents have been misled or feel forced due to
fears for the their childs future.
Deaf and hard of hearing students in the mainstream. Raising and educating deaf
children: Foundations for policy, practice, and outcomes, by Antia, S. is an article
discussing the information that we do and do not know about deaf and hard of hearing
students in the mainstream. Three categories of benefits for mainstreaming students are
identified: academic support, academic access, and social integration. This article
demonstrates the separation of deaf and hearing cultures, although hearing children do not
reject deaf students within their classroom, issues are evident in communication and
language barriers. The author also discusses ideas for future research and review on the
subject, specifically the work that TODHH (specialized, licensed teachers that work with
deaf and hard of hearing students) do with students.
Another article discusses the differences between hearing and deaf cultures. A study
conducted by Darrow, analyzing how deaf and hard of hearing students perceive and make
music demonstrates that culture impacts a persons perception of music (Darrow, 2006).
Sixty-two elementary and high school students were selected as participants. Some of these
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students were deaf or hard of hearing, attending a nearby school for the deaf, and some of
the participants had full hearing capabilities and attended a different nearby school. The
participants were played twelve film score excerpts and asked to designate an emotion to
each. The study found that, while both groups of participants had the ability to designate an
emotion to the sounds they heard, hearing students designated emotions to pieces more
often in agreement with the composers intent. The article concluded that timbre, texture,
and rhythm are the most influential elements in emoting for people who are deaf and hard
of hearing, and that musical understanding largely pertains to culture.
An article written by the authors Nelson, Wright, and Parker discusses the concept
of inclusion and how deaf and hard of hearing students conceptualize music
(Nelson,Wright,Parker, 2016). Deaf and hard of hearing children often partake in vocal play
and other musical activities early in life. Rhythm is often the easiest concept for students
who are deaf and hard of hearing to understand and utilize, being a focus of music
education for these students in music classes. Overall, the article concludes that reading
comprehension, vocab, pronunciation, rhythm in speech, pitch perception, and auditory
perception can all be positively impacted by inclusion in music classes. This conclusion
sheds light on the gap of musical perception between children and adults who are hard of
hearing or deaf. While children seem to embrace music, adults seem more timid because of
their values within deaf culture.
Another article suggests this gap caused by deaf cultural values. A study conducted
by Yennari analyzes the responses that children with CIs have to music (Yennari, 2010).
Seven profoundly deaf children were observed listening to music in three environments; a
specialist nursery, their home, and a community nursery. Children responded to music with
vocalization and emotional responses. The study found that children who are deaf vocalize
and play similarly to their hearing counterparts and demonstrate that a lack of involvement
and knowledge of deaf culture has made their perceptions of music similar to their hearing
counterparts.
A very similar study was conducted by Schraer-Joiner in 2009. Their article
discusses the study conducted to analyze the responses that children with CIs have to
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music. In the study, three deaf children with CIs were observed listening to music, two of
which previously had their hearing and one child was born deaf. The study found that
children who are deaf vocalize, play, move, and respond socially and emotionally to music.
These findings demonstrate the gap in musical perception between deaf youth and adults.
While young children seem to freely welcome music and expression, adults tend to be
tentative because of the contact they have had with deaf culture (Schraer-Joiner, 2009).
The Role of music in deaf culture: Implications for music educators is an article
examining the role of music in deaf culture and the implications that this has on music
education. A main issue that many members of the deaf community have with music
education is that many deaf and hard of hearing people feel that music is imposing
hearing culture on deaf students (Darrow, 1993). In an attempt to understand these
feelings, a study was conducted through the National Telephone Directory for TDD users
(Telephone device invented in 1964 for deaf and hard of hearing individuals that uses text
instead of vocalization) and videotaped interviews. The thirty-three entries determined
that most deaf students never had music classes, and most participants did not care about
music classes. However, 50% of the respondents liked singing and identified as being part
of the deaf community, 45% admitted to listening to music and 7% described using music
as way of auditory training. The most notable finding of the study was that cultural
identification is a strong factor in how people conceptualize and participate in music.
Although a large majority of the deaf community feels that music is not important
and not relevant to the community, people who are deaf or hard of hearing with different
identities in relation to the community have other opinions. An article by Churchill written
in 2016 discusses a study conducted through interviews with three musicians with hearing
impairments and different identities involving the deaf community. The purpose of this
study was to create a new narrative strategy for music in the deaf community and to bring
awareness to misconceptions. The participants were asked three questions involving music
making and expression as someone who is hard of hearing/ deaf: What is music for Deaf or
hard of hearing individuals? What factors do these individuals identify through their music
making or storytelling that motivates them to make music? What happens when I, the
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researcher interacts with these individuals and observe their music making? It is important
to note that the participants did not identify personally with the deaf community and use
their experiences of being deaf or hearing impaired to influence their musical identities.
The participants largely felt that music and deafness should not be placed in opposition
when examining music in relation to their abilities, instead, observers should draw upon
the perspectives of the deaf musicians, considering what motivates them to make music,
instead of seeing deafness as a disability when listening to music. The study concluded that
deaf and hard of hearing people identify in many different ways within the community, and
that that cultural identification determines how people may perceive music. Overall,
deafness is a cultural dimension and not a disability (Churchill, 2016).
Another article analyzes the same concept. In the article Expert Listening beyond
the Limits of Hearing: Music and Deafness, Holmes analyzes information found on online
sources and first person testimonies from three groups of identities: members of Deaf
culture, non-culturally deaf listeners, and groups of musicians and concertgoers with
hearing loss, discussing music and deafness to draw critical evidence to the current
understandings of deafness and music. The author discusses online source learners
opinions and the stories of deaf musician Evelyn Glennie to discuss the misconception that
people who are deaf live in a silent world. Although the ongoing movement of rejecting
oralism is gaining support within the deaf community, many supporters of music see music
as more than oralism, in an interview, a respondent explained that listening [music] is
about more than just hearing; it is about engaging, empowering, inspiring and creating
bonds (Holmes, 2017). The article concludes that people who are deaf can communicate
and identify through music in different ways.
The article Deaf and hard-of-hearing musicians: Crafting a narrative strategy,
addresses misconceptions of people who are deaf within music and how to flip the
narrative. The author discusses music for the deaf in two categories: music as an
experience and music as education. Marko Vuoriheimo is a Deaf musical artist who
performs under the name Signmark. He creates and shares music in interesting ways,
morphing his identity as a deaf artist and educating people about his culture. One of his
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performances is detailed by Churchill; ..signing door, directing his gaze upward, as if

toward a presumably hearing person on the floor above. Using ASL classifiers, Marko
figuratively brings this person down to his own level, ending in the sign for meet. He then
references this spatial point with the sign perspective, followed by the sign for same. All of
this translates to English as: You need to get on my level to know what Im about
(Churchill, 2015). Performances by Signmark are very powerful and demonstrate a need
for further understanding of the deaf community and how music and deafness can work
together in harmony. The stereotype of the suffering deaf musician is a misconception
artists like Signmark hope to end.

Implications for Practice

The above findings and information impact musical education greatly. It is clear that
educators should be familiarized with deaf culture and concepts to assist students in their
needs and should be understanding of cultural differences in order to be respectful and
understanding of students differences and opinions. Educators should also acknowledge
that deaf culture includes a wide array of personal identifications and should discuss with
the student and parents what titles he/she prefers (Churchill, 2015, 2016; Darrow, 1993;
Ladd, 2003. In educating students who are deaf or have hearing impairments, educators
should find new culturally appropriate and creative ways for educating students who are
deaf, examples include song signing, Bi-Bi approach, and visual and kinesthetic cues
(Darrow, 2006; Holmes, 2017; Ladd, 2003).

Suggestions for Future Research

There is still much to be done for society to understand and appreciate the deaf
community. In education, the work of the TODHH should be further observed to make sure
that the needs of students who are deaf are being addressed and accommodated (Anita,
2013). In understanding the full needs of the continuously growing community and culture,
more research into the differences in deaf cultures from around the world should be also
be done (Ladd, 2003). Further research should also be done from the perspective of deaf
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authors. Plenty of articles suggest a lack of representation of the deaf community in

research pertaining to deaf culture. More research from this perspective would bring light
to more applicable issues (Darrow, 1993).
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Resources

Antia, S. (2013). Deaf and hard of hearing students in the mainstream. Raising and
educating deaf children: Foundations for policy, practice, and outcomes.
Retrieved from
http://www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2014/01/01/deaf-and-ha
rd-of-hearing-students-in-the-mainstream/
Churchill, W. N. (2015). Deaf and hard-of-hearing musicians: Crafting a narrative
strategy. Research Studies in Music Education, 37(1), 21-36.
Churchill, W. N. (2016). Claiming musical spaces: Stories of deaf and hard-of-hearing
musicians (Order No. 10117030). Available from ProQuest Dissertations &
Theses Global. (1794656448). Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1794656448?accountid=11667
Darrow, A. (1993). The Role of music in deaf culture: Implications for music
educators. Journal of Research in Music Education, 41(2), 93-110.
Darrow, A. (2006). The role of music in deaf culture: Deaf students' perception of
emotion in music. Journal of Music Therapy, 43(1), pp. 215.
HOLMES, J. A. (2017). Expert Listening beyond the Limits of Hearing: Music and
Deafness. Journal Of The American Musicological Society, 70(1), 171-220.
doi:10.1525/jams.2017.70.1.171
Ladd, D. P. (2003). Understanding deaf culture : in search of deafhood. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Nelson, Wright, Parker, L. W. E. (2016). Embedding music into language and literacy
instruction for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Young
Exceptional Children, 19(1), 27-38.
Schraer-Joiner, L. E. (2009). The responses of preschoolers with cochlear implants
to musical activities: A multiple case study. Early Child Development and Care,
179(6), 785-798.
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Yennari, M. (2010). Beginnings of song in young deaf children using cochlear

implants: The song they move, the song they feel, the song they share. Music
Education Research, 12(3).