BBC Documentary: Can deaf people appreciate music?
Deaf people understand and appreciate music? If so, how?
That’s the topic of the BBC Radio 4 documentary, ‘The Art of Living: Listening Without Ears’, which stars Phonak hEARo and HearingLikeMe.com writer Eloise Garland.
The documentary, which airs, Dec. 12, follows Eloise to the Brussels Kunstenfestivaldesarts where she attends ‘WITHIN’ – a unique project by sound artist and musician, Tarek Atoui. His performance features a number of experimental ‘instruments’ designed to be accessible to all performers and listeners – including those who are Deaf. During the show, Eloise meets three Deaf first-time ‘musicians’ at the event, each with different backgrounds and experiences with music – and each with different levels of interest in the sound they are creating.
The documentary also follows other people who are Deaf and/or are experts in the field, according to Eloise. A Deaf eight-year-old violinist named Harry is featured, as well as Bryony Parkes from the National Deaf Children’s Society’s ‘Raising the Bar’ project. “This really has been a great opportunity for me as a Deaf musician to explore this topic with other people, Deaf and hearing, from around the world and to create something that will hopefully raise more awareness particularly amongst the hearing population,” says Eloise. “I want people to know that D/deaf individuals can do anything they put their mind to – be it music or anything else – and that this is achieved not necessarily through the stereotypes that exist.”
“I want people to know that D/deaf individuals can do anything they put their mind to – be it music or anything else – and that this is achieved not necessarily through the stereotypes that exist.”
Eloise wears Phonak hearing aids and regularly shares stories of her hearing loss journey on Instagram. She was also featured in a Phonak video in 2014.