As part of my research on how to make music accessible to children across the hearing spectrum, I reflected on my own experiences and how they enabled me to access music. I remember growing up with the belief that I could do anything that I put my mind to if I am willing to put in the hard work and adapt my skills. A key figure that helped me to believe in this statement was Dame Evelyn Glennie, a world-renowned solo percussionist, who also happens to have been diagnosed as profoundly deaf at the age of 12. She was determined to pursue music and learnt how to listen to sounds through her body, rather than through her ears. Dame Evelyn Glennie describes her body as a resonating chamber that allows her to register rhythms, textures, dynamics and so on. In interviews, Glennie often thanks her Percussion teacher, Mr Forbes, for being open-minded and creative with his teaching methods. Together they explored how she could develop her senses. Glennie learnt how to recognise pitches by playing them in isolation and registering the feelings they produced, by identifying which part of her body feels the vibration and for how long. In her information booklet titled “Deaf, Music and Sound” she says: “The low sounds I feel mainly in my legs and feet and high sounds might be particular places on my face, neck and chest”.
Here is a great video where Dame Evelyn Glennie describes how she feels sound:
I found this interesting because I also try to recognise sensations when I sing. I do this, because I find it is hard to rely upon what I hear through my ears. My ears hear my voice through air conduction, (when the sound I make travels from my mouth to my ears) and by acoustic feedback, (when the sound I make reverberates off the walls back to my ears). Both air conduction and acoustic feedback come too late to be of help. The sound has already left my body. In addition to this what you will hear can be affected by changing circumstances such as where you are singing, what costume you are wearing and your position in relation to the accompaniment. Another reason that explains why I cannot rely upon my hearing myself, is the fact that there is a muscle in my ear called the tensor tympani; this muscle protects the inner ear from loud sounds. When I sing high notes, the tensor tympani muscle is automatically triggered to protect me against my own voice. It gives me the illusion that my voice is soft, small, quiet. However, people listening to me will hear the opposite. So if I were to rely upon hearing my own voice when singing very high, I may incorrectly deduce that I need to be louder. As a result, I may increase my energy when starting this note, “pushing”, which interrupts the vocal chords natural ability to produce the pitch efficiently, resulting in the note cracking or negatively impacting it’s resonance and projection. That’s why I think it is important to sensitize myself to inner hearing and work with coaches, teachers, and friends to guide me on my external sound.
When I am singing, I try to focus on listening to my voice inside my head by recognising sensations. I do this through feeling air, tissue vibration and bone conduction. For me, low notes I feel in my chest, neck and chin and high notes on my hair line, top of my head and the tops of my ears. One of the challenges I am working on now, is recognising the sensations I feel when I am singing with a low larynx and when I am singing with a high larynx. In operatic technique, it is more desirable to sing with a low larynx, so being able to recognise feelings that are consistent with singing with a low larynx will help my singing.
Dame Evelyn Glennie actively encourages people to re-imagine how they listen. I wondered if this way of thinking could enhance how children experience music. When I visited her website, I saw that she offers online individual and group consultations. I got in touch and asked whether she would consider exploring how to make music accessible to children in an interactive show format. I was aware that I wanted the children to get involved in the performance, but I wasn’t sure which instruments to use or whether my activities would work. Dame Evelyn Glennie was able to immediately suggest and demonstrate instruments that would be accessible to children. Together we brainstormed multiple practical tasks and explored how my initial activities could be improved to encourage children to listen and create music by reacting to all of their senses. These discussions have not only enhanced my research but provided momentum for the next stage of development.
I will leave you with her TED Talk, where she demonstrates and discusses how listening to music involves much more than simply relying on your ears.
Not only are you a very likeable, talented and of course pretty young woman, Charlotte, you are, ever-increasingly, a woman to admire for the breadth of your wish to communicate, especially to children. I’d say I hope your intended programme is a success on the most important levels for you but I have no doubt that its success will be dependant upon hope at all.
Thank you for introducing me to Dame Evelyn Glennie. It’s amazing what people can do when they decide they are simply differently enabled and not truly handicapped. I can relate in so many ways. Have you recovered from your ear infection?
Wow, great !!! I am very very very proud of you Miss rainbow voice !!!!!! Félicitation Charlotte, you do very very good work !!!!!
Really interesting, Charlotte. It is so fine that you are always looking to improve.
What an amazing story about Dame Evelyn. I never new there was so much to singing as you describe. Perhaps that’s why my voice sounds like somebody has just jumped on some bagpipes. 🤦🏻♂️
Amazing post! I have heard of this woman and seen her TED talk. How remarkable that you, yourself are so much in touch with your voice and how your body responds to it. Thank you for sharing, as this is not material taught in the average music class. Brava!
Excellent, Charlotte. Thank you. 😁
Gotta share this with my choir! Very helpful, even for us seniors …
She is amazing, thanks for sharing this video, Charlotte! When i was younger I had a full set of drums but never played in a band. Oh well! 😂
Wonderful post, Charlotte. I really admire your sense of adventure in exploring so many aspects of music.
Wish you happy valentine’s day ❤️🎉
How creatively wonderful!
Your such an inspiration Charlotte, tirelessly pursuing your way forward down every avenue to bring music to a whole genre of people of all ages. An excellent post highlighting that music can be enjoyed and performed by people regardless of any hearing issues, just listen in a different way, we’ll done!❤️🥰👏👏👏👏
Thank you so much for this very informative and interesting post!
How brilliant of you, Charlotte. You are always learning and then looking for new ways to learn, but now you are also teaching!!!
A wonderfully inspiring post, Charlotte. You have much to offer.
Wonderful post Charlotte.
Very interesting,and inspiring.
Good luck with your new adventures.😘👏👏👏
This is a fascinating post on understanding, exploring and experiencing sound, Charlotte. Thank you for the insights you present, and the introduction to Dame Evelyn Glennie. She is amazing, as are you!
Fascinating. (I loved her accent. Had a friend, a while ago, named Paul Scot (!) who spoke just like that.
Did I tell you that when I go to a concert, or whatever kind of music) I periodically close my eyes to listen to a particular instrument or voice? Close my eyes five minutes. Open them up watch and listen. Close my eyes again. Helps… understand/ feel better.
Cheers
This was astonishing and moving. I watched the whole of the Glennie’s Ted talk, though I didn’t have the time! I am so happy you are in touch with her about your project.
This post is very interesting, Charlotte. As a singer myself in my younger years, I had no knowledge of how to truly listen. The video is amazing. Thanks for sharing. Stay well! 💞
Brilliant, dear Charlotte!
Dame Evelyn Glennie teaches us a lot.
You have absorbed this into your being that feels.
Charlotte, not only are you on a wonderful career path, you are truly a beautiful human being.
Bravo dear Diva!!!!
Resa – ❦❦❦❦❦
I have watched that Ted Talk a couple of times. It is amazing. i just listened to the top video, with the drum for the first time. Years ago I was a pretty good trumpet player. It is only recently that I realized I never went beyond was because I wasn’t truly listening to my sound and tuning – like the voice, you need to constantly check the tuning of a trumpet. And even more recently, I have been singing with piano and tuner – that way I can sense what being in tune feels like – when I tune a synthesizer, I can feel the beating change as i change the pitch to get more or less in tune, but I can’t hear that with my voice, it is something that needs to be felt. I guess better to learn this late than not at all 😉
Anyway, thanks for sharing your own experience. I also think it is very cool that Dame Evelyn Glennie answered you and is willing to work with you on this! It does sound like a very worthwhile cause, so I can understand her being interested, but it must be thrilling to work with her.
How wonderful is that! I just love it when someone shows me a new way to see the world. Thank you. 🙂
Me too, that’s the best thing about blogging, new discoveries.
All my best wishes
Charlotte
🙂 Totally agree, Charlotte.
Have a lovely, discovery-filled day.
Robert.