So many people enjoy orchestral music, but often we take this art for granted. Is it possible for the deaf to enjoy orchestral music as much as the hearing?
Early attempts at solving this issue include projecting visualizations onto large screens so the deaf may see the music. But, there are other ways the deaf may enjoy the symphony.
One way is just to be in the same room as the hearing while a concert performance is going on. Imagine walking into a room just after a heated argument has taken place. You can feel the ethereal energy left behind. In the same manner, those without hearing can feel the energy of what a performance is like whether or not they experience the performance.
More concrete ways have been developed by certain orchestras. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales has created a unique technological solution: a soundbox. This box projects music and sound waves that are input through microphones. Deaf (or hearing) listeners may put their hands or other body parts on the box and experience the music through sympathetic vibrations. Another symphony orchestra in Cardiff invites deaf listeners to sit in on rehearsals with the musicians and place fingers on instruments while played in order to experience the feeling of the instruments' sonorities.
Organizations such as Music and the Deaf support this type of work and regularly commission projects to include the deaf in musical endeavors. Unfortunately, most of the breakthroughs in including the deaf community have been in Europe. Perhaps soon North America will catch up.
No comments:
Post a Comment