Touch the Sound

I noticed how quite a number of people were interested in my previous article on experiencing sounds while being deaf, and thought perhaps a review about a musician who happens to be deaf would be thought-provoking as well. Touch the Sound is a documentary directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer, which focuses on a musician known as Evelyn Glennie. She was the first full-time solo professional percussionist in 20th century western society. Evelyn gives more than one hundred concerts a year as well as 'music in schools' performances. Yes, Evelyn Glennie is what people would consider profoundly deaf. However, I must note, that she was not born deaf, she lost her hearing at eight years old. Yet she has gone on and became one of the world's foremost musicians, a Grammy-winning classical percussionist whose solo work is unrivaled.

Touch the Sound shows Evelyn creating music with an endless variety of objects, traveling around the world to meet up with other musicians and play with them. In the beginning, the clueless would have no idea that she happens to be deaf, it is only when she finally brings it up that one would then realize that she is indeed profoundly deaf. She speaks of how she lost her hearing, the advice her parents recieved about how Evelyn could not possibly be a musician and should attend a school for the deaf, how she experiences music, and show her deaf students how to experience music without hearing aids. If you pay enough attention, you will notice that she plays music while barefoot because it is the best way for her to feel and hear the music.

While I am sure it is amazing to know that a deaf person can be a musician, one needs to not only think about that while watching this movie and just enjoy the music. I am told it is incredible. Obviously as a deaf person, I can't exactly be my own judge, so I'll take my boyfriend's word. It also is said that Evelyn would think she has failed as a musician if all the audiences can think when they hear her music is: "How can a deaf person create music?" Evelyn attempts to explain how she hears and feels sounds at her official website (i will include the link to the website in the additional resources section below) but overall says that nobody who is not deaf can understand, and to please enjoy the music and forget the rest. Which is a big reason why the documentary did not dwell on her deafness and instead shows her as who she ultimately is, a musician.

The fact that I have experiences with playing music while being deaf, it is obvious that what Evelyn discussed about how she experiences sound was no surprise to me. However, I must say how impressed I am with her determination to be a musician despite the countless of people who must have tried to convince that she couldn't due to her deafness. Hers would be a perfect example of what one can truly do if they have the will and desire to. Never let someone stop you from pursuing your one true passion.

With all that said, I would like to end this article with a quote:

"Silence is probably one of the loudest and heaviest sounds that you're ever likely to experience. The opposite of sound definitely isn't silence." (Evelyn Glennie)