Interesting Developements

When I was home for Thanksgiving, my dad told me about an article he read in our newspaper.  Apparently, the school for the deaf that I did an observation with about a year ago invited our local philharmonic orchestra to come and give a concert for the students.  My dad found this to be hard to believe, as would most people because it’s kind of strange to think of deaf children enjoying a musical concert.  But I explained to my dad that there are 2 possible ways that that could’ve helped the students enjoy the concert.

      I first asked my dad where they held the concert.  He told me he read that it was in the gym.  I explained to him that wood carries vibration very well, and by having the students sit directly on the floor, they would be able to pick up the vibrations produced by the music without much trouble.  I also told him that these vibrations would tell the students when the music was loud and soft, and they might also be able to pick up rhythms, and consequently be able to identify what song the orchestra was playing.

    I also told my dad that many of the students at this school have a coclear implant.  Depending on how much hearing the student had to begin with, they might be able to pick up actual melody lines.