Rationale:

This past summer, I decided to begin learning sign language. Although it began as an
interest and a desire for a new skill, sign language opened a door to the deaf community that I
never knew I would have such strong interest in. As a began meeting deaf people from around
the country, in hopes to practice and get stronger, I was introduced to a new culture that I
previously had not had the opportunity to learn about. As I learned more, I began to relate deaf
culture to my own profession, and then realized, my experience with music education has been
predominantly aural.
Upon further research, I discovered that deaf people are able to appreciate, understand
and experience music. Although this experience is different from how hearing people listen to
music, it is still as important to the culture and the individual, and should be valued the same
(Marler). In my research, I aim to understand how music can be experienced without listening,
as well as music’s role, culturally, in the deaf and hard of hearing community. Furthermore, I will
learn how to apply this new knowledge to my own future music classroom. I will discover how to
include students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and learn from schools such as the Illinois
School for the Deaf, who created a successful brass band (Marler).
Through my paper I will discover the role of music in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Community, how people who are deaf experience music, and how I, as a future music educator,
can include students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

(2019, May 23). Luana Marler. Retrieved from https://blogs.jwpepper.com/index.php/teaching-

music-to-deaf-students/

Questions:

- Do people who are deaf or hard of hearing experience music? How do they experience
music?
- As an educator, how can I ensure to include students who are deaf or hard of hearing in
my classroom?