Healing Sounds Beethoven Project
Teaching the clarinet to deaf and hard-of-hearing children

"Real musicians might be abandoned because we are afraid to give musical instruments into the hands of children with impaired hearing"

Beethoven's masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony, is recognized as one of the greatest artistic achievements of all time. But the premiere of this seminal work is remembered for another important reason as well. On that day in May 1824, the public learned for the first time that Ludwig van Beethoven was deaf. The great composer, who was on the stage with the orchestra and chorus during the performance, had to be turned towards the audience to see the people in the theatre shouting "Bravo" and clapping enthusiastically. The event remains burned into our collective cultural consciousness.

In the history of music there have been other cases of deaf individuals who have overcome the ideologic barrier of their deafness to succeed in the world of music. Shawn Dale Barnett, the drummer, is one example. Evelyn Glennie, the world renowned Scottish percussionist, is perhaps the best known deaf musician on the internationally scene today. Ms. Glennie has almost single-handedly caused people to re-examine their conceptions of what it means to be deaf, forcing us to consider that in terms of musical expression, deafness may not be a handicap at all.

Until very recently the deaf person's experience with music has not received much attention. For many years the deaf were not allowed to participate in any form of musical activity. The reason for this is the commonly held belief that music, being an auditory art, excludes those who cannot hear or who hear less than perfectly. But as evidenced by Beethoven, Evelyn Glennie and many others, this is a false premise. The deaf and hard-of-hearing can indeed learn to perform and derive pleasure from music.

We believe that the clarinet is the ideal instrument to teach to hearing impaired young people because in addition to the musical pitches that come out of the instrument itself, the mouthpiece and reed create vibrations inside the player's mouth. These pass via bone conduction through the player's entire body. Thus the experience of playing the clarinet can help deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in many ways.

The ability to differeniate sounds and pitches can lead to improved hearing and communication skills. Forming a correct clarinet embouchure while blowing and running one's fingers over the keys fosters better coordination, relieves tension, and improves concentration and focus. The mere act of trying to play music awakens the sense of rhythm. The self expressive aspect of making music contributes to better emotional balance as well as to improved mental capabilities and imagination. Improvisation and the ability to react spontaneously to all kinds of stimulae reach a higher level. Finally, self esteem gets a major boost, impacting in a positive way all manner of the player's personal relationships. In short, for those who may feel less than whole or otherwise unworthly because of an often stygmatized handicap, playing a wind instrument like the clarinet can be the key to a better life.

The aim of our Healing Sounds Beethoven Project is to rehabilitate deaf and hard-of-hearing children by giving them an opportunity to learn something special that makes them feel special. Through individual and group instruction in clarinet playing and music making, we aim to bolster the self esteem and sense of accomplishment of these young people while teaching them things that have been shown to improve communication and social skills. We also aim to erase the barriers that separate the hearing impaired from others by organizing ensembles that include normal hearing children as well, thereby proving once and for all that when it comes to making and enjoying music, we are a community of equals.

Since beginning our program in 2002, we have successfully taught the clarinet to some 40 hearing impaired students in Hungary. We are now working on expanding our program and on relocating our school to the school of the deaf in Hungary. We are working as well on a related program designed to give music teachers the knowledge and tools required to teach clarinet to the hearing impaired, and on the developing a new "resonant clarinet," which we hope will augment the sensory feel of playing for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, thereby increasing their enjoyment of the experience of playing music.

Some thoughts from clarinettist József Balogh

To play the clarinet is fun! This should be laid down in advance. The fact remains even if the one playing the clarinet has impaired hearing. This is what I was keeping in my mind when the experimental clarinet trainings were launched for the children at Szabóky School, where both the staff and the management were very helpful. During the training an old carved picture was floating in front of my eyes, in which Beethoven, in order to compensate the loss of his hearing, is holding a wooden splint in his mouth, which is nailed to the piano. The master tried to reinforce the memory of his hearing through this method of perceiving the resonance of the piano. So I reminded myself once again that playing the clarinet is fun. At once, the clarinets were in our mouths, our hands grasped them, and the "splints" (here, the clarinets) started to resonate - and I hoped that everything will be just as easy as it was for Beethoven. It is not hard to guess why the programme is named after Beethoven, and why I believe so much in the success of this experiment!

On the experiences of the experimental training

The success of the programme is doubtless, the experiment brought definite and positive results. The children can indeed play the clarinet. It was proved in the mid-year appearances, in the gala concert and also in their everyday training routine. Moreover, the amount and level of training material corresponds to that applied in normal music schools - this goes beyond our expectations.

A further surprise was the empirical confirmation of the concept - inherited by all musicians, that music comes from the heart. Before their involvement with this programme these children used to feel that music, and the activity of playing music, reminded them of their disabilities, and they felt excluded from it. I will never forget the first glances they shared when I stepped into the room for the first time with a clarinet in my hands to recruit participants for the music training.

I have found some children of great talent, although these skills are very hard to assess in the first years. One thing is certain: for the training of deaf children special qualification and special training material is needed. The latter will be created in our Leonardo da Vinci project. Fortunately, clarinet learning does not require special physical capabilities - almost all children in the experimental classes are able to do it.

On the training method

The origin of the training method applied in the Beethoven programme is the idea of Ludwig van Beethoven, who lost his hearing gradually. Through the implementation of his method it is possible to train children with impaired hearing to learn music.

Wind instruments - when being played - do not only emit sounds, but other inner resonances in certain parts of the musician's body as well. These resonances are forwarded through the vibration of the air in the chambered parts of the head, the teeth and the breast chambers, what results in a strong resonant contact between musician and instrument. These secondary resonances can only be perceived by the one who plays the instrument, and they are sufficient to control playing. This phenomenon is part of the everyday routine for musicians playing in studios. They wear a headphone that is part of a closed system (leaving no resonance out), what enables them to play on the given musical background through ensuring that the microphone will only record what they play. Through this method the recording can be repeated anytime, and the background music can always be separated. The special headphone blocks also the resonance going inside. The musician playing the instrument cannot hear what he plays - what he hears, is a different music, recorded in a different acoustic environment. Therefore, they must rely on their instrumental experience, inner resonances and anticipations.

Concerning the control of playing the instrument, the technique of making studio recordings can surely be described as a blind-flight. Can this common process be compared to the problem of the deaf? Although one of the most important means of artistic control, the hear is of no utility, the musician has to deliver a perfect, musically controlled performance, so they place confidence in the inner resonances that can be felt through the direct contact with the instrument, and they rely on the routine acquired during exercising.

As it is widely known, Beethoven nailed a splint to the resonating part of his piano in order to counterbalance his incipient hearing loss. When playing a wind instrument, the same process takes place, especially in the case of the two instruments with single reeds: the saxophone and the clarinet. While playing these instruments, the upper teeth are pressed on the mouthpiece. The resonance coming from the instrument usually reaches a level where it becomes unpleasant, so manufacturers usually build an anti-resonance underlay on the mouthpiece, what is certainly not needed in the case of deaf musicians.

The importance of the music for the deaf

Music and instrumental training can play a major role in the education of deaf children with impaired hearing, especially with respect to its positive effects on the development of personality, and its pedagogical value. The experiences gained during musical training contribute to the improvement of skills like relaxation, self-expression and concentration. Playing music helps to build new relationships, improves mood, and enriches emotional life - so it has a complex developing effect. Playing music develops intellectual skills, imagination, thinking, the sense of rhythm and the coordination of movements.

The Beethoven programme brings hard-of-hearing and deaf children to the world of music, thereby making them familiar with a new dimension of life. This is why we believe in the importance of their wind instrument training. Playing musical instruments helps children with impaired hearing to live a balanced, complete life.
Music makes their life more complete, successful and happier, and helps them to communicate with the people in their environment, and to integrate in the society.

It is a great opportunity for them to perform and create in a field that has been almost unreachable. They can develop their inner hearing, they can play music pieces. In a nutshell: they can play music. Music and playing music has always meant something for these children that remind them on their disability, and so - with some shame in their hearts - they have tried to keep them away.

According to the psychologist Peter Kendall, classical music and playing musical instruments improves the children's performance in learning. It enhances intellectual skills, physical coordination, and verbal memory, empowers social responsibility, facilitates mathematical, logical and scientific competences, and the ability to solve problems and concentrate.

Famous hard-of-hearing musicians of the world:
Evelyn Glennie, percussionist Shawn Dale Barnett, drummer

Tüzet viszek (I Bring Fire) (Hungarian Children Song)

MUSIC for DEAF

"A special music training programme for teachers to improve the music instrument playing of deaf and hard of hearing students"

The eight partner organizations are going to elaborate a special training materials for deaf students, a methodology handbook, a repertoire book, and special instruments required for the trainings within the frames of the two-year project. Making use of the Hungarian system of musical education, it will be possible to train special clarinet trainers for deaf children in courses that provide qualifications approved by the state. The closing event of the project will be a common concert with the Interclarinet Ensemble in Vienna and a related press conference in 2007.
r tasks
We will go on with the trainings in the experimental classes, and further classes will also be involved. Concerning the difficulties of finding empty rooms in the school, and scheduling the lessons without disturbing others, it will be a hard task. Moreover, we would like to provide instrumental training for other students as well, preferably on primary school level. We also want to step up cooperation with major deaf organizations and the Ministry of Education, in order to start the process of establishing a national network, which would ensure the music instrument training of deaf people on an acceptably high professional level.

The eight supporters of the "Music for Deaf" programme are: Trebag Property and Project Management Ltd (Hungary), Dr. Török Béla Óvoda, Általános Iskola, Speciális Szakiskola, Módszertani Intézmény, Diákotthon és Gyermekotthon (Deaf School in Hungary); Alliance for Ecology & Foreign Languages (Bulgaria); Frank Hammerschmidt Klarinetten and IBB Institut für Bildung und Beratung GmbH (Germany); ESE Escola Superior De Educaçao (Portugal); Scoala Pentru Surzi (Romania).

We would like to express our gratitude to the supporters of the Beethoven programme

BEETHOVEN PROGRAM - HEALING SOUNDS

Woodwind instruments teaching/learning for hard of hearing children

Program Description

The aims of the Beethoven Program
The aims of this special development Program are to rehabilitate children with hearing difficulties, to help them with their communication and social skills, thereby helping them to fit into the community.

The Program helps to develop the different capabilities of individual children. It also helps in their relationships with their families and environment. In the lives of children with hearing problems, gestures and body language play a greater role than with children whose hearing is normal. With the aid of this Program, their hearing is concentrated on, and by improving on their inner hearing their senses will also develop. These children are in an undeveloped situation socially - their connection with the real world and with hearing people is difficult. Using this Program, we aim to raise their self-esteem and improve their social relationships by helping them to play music with other, normal hearing children thereby making them equal.

This planned, special music Program can add, in a concentrated and effective way, to the acquisition of self-reliance to the hard of hearing child. Hearing and hard of hearing children playing music together will form a basis for community education. This type of musical training, learning, communication provides a unique opportunity for the development of a more natural relationship between normal children and those with hearing problems. The improving sessions will help all of the children taking part and will help the parents by extending their own communication areas thereby adding to the creative activity of the children. All these factors will benefit the lifestyle of the whole family, improve their bodily and emotional health, their relationships and bring them closer together. The integrated lessons also help to improve the communication skills amongst the other members of the family, their thinking and emotions, and their tolerance towards the child with defective hearing. The children get an opportunity of self-improvement in an area which before probably seemed unimaginable. They have a chance to test themselves and to do something special, something different.

There are two main roles of the musical and instrumental education of children with
hearing difficulties. They are:
· The value of music in the development of the individual, and the value of pedagogical benefits for the personality
· The improvement of the child's hearing, and its ability to differentiate and create musical sounds.

Therefore, improvement in these areas has a major role in the development of the child's communication and hearing. Through this method, several skills can be taught which would not be possible otherwise. It helps to improve co-ordination, gives experiences which help to relieve tension, increases self-expression and develops concentration and attention. It also helps to improve relationships and to enrich emotional feelings. During the creative work, the ability to improvise, to react with spontaneity will reach a higher level.

Music has an effect on human development which impacts on the whole personality; it makes us more emotionally balanced, relieves inner tension and, at the same time, improves mental capabilities, imagination and the thinking process. It also helps with a person's rhythmic ability and movement co-ordination.

The Contents of the Program
When played, a wind instrument gives out not only audible sounds but also resonances within different parts of the musician's body. Within the head, the teeth, in the chest - via the resonance of the air canals - strong resonant contact is created between the player and the instrument. This secondary resonance, which can be heard only by the player, is enough to control the playing of the instrument. It is an everyday event for studio players to wear headphones, creating a closed system with only a minimal amount of sound escaping to the outside. This enables them to play with pre-recorded music, while the microphone registers only the players' music. This way, the new recording can be repeated several times and can be separated from the pre-recorded element. The type of headphone used not only stops sounds getting out but also prevents reaching the player's ears. As a result, the player hears other people's music and different acoustics. Hence in terms of his own playing, he has to rely on his own experience, inner resonances and feelings.

From the instrumental music-making point of view, this everyday technique used in studio recording is called "blind flying" despite its dealing with aural rather than visual effects. Isn't the problem of hard-of-hearing people comparable with the music studio technique? The musician ears, which are his most important senses, in the studio are unusable. In spite of this he has to create a perfect performance, artistically controlled. Therefore, he has to rely on his inner resonances generated by the instrument with which he is in close physical contact, from music which he has learned during the long hours of practice.

We know as a fact that when Beethoven's hearing began to deteriorate, he had a piece of wood nailed to the soundboard of his piano. During playing, he held the end of the wood in his mouth. This enabled him to hear the sounds of the piano better and greatly compensated for his hearing loss. When playing a woodwind instrument this happens automatically, especially with single-reed instruments, the clarinet and saxophone, where the player's teeth are in direct contact with the mouthpiece. In fact, the quantity of resonance is so great from this contact that some normal-hearing players choose to reduce it by making use of mouthpiece pads.

The project will start with the two above-mentioned instruments for the reasons already given. Obviously, we have to take care of other physiological aspects of musical instrument playing but, assume otherwise normal physical condition, no other problems should be encountered. In any event, we recognise the importance of having a doctor immediately available at all times.

Circumstances of the Project Creation
The idea of the project came from other musical and developmental therapies which are already working successfully. However, we know of no approach similar to the one here proposed.

We have extensive data as to the physiological background required for studying woodwind instruments. Through practical examples we know that teaching the playing of a musical instrument to children with hearing difficulties helps them to develop their hearing and their personality.

Preparation
One of the first tasks is to recruit music teachers who, in addition to having the required technical skills, have the desired empathy for this kind of activity.

The next tasks are: to purchase the instruments, select the children and assess their requirements. Following that we can prepare the detailed plan, customised for each child, organise meetings and consultations. In addition to the music teachers, other specialists, a Doctor and a Psychologist will have to be attached to the Program.

Introduction of the Participants
The chosen group contains hard-of-hearing children and their families. The children are disabled in different ways and to different extents. Add to this, most of them also suffer from some kind of intellectual disability; they have typical intellectual strengths and weaknesses. Their speech and speech co-ordination is also affected be their hearing loss. Their rehabilitation impacts also on their mental development, for this reason we want to give them the opportunity of learning woodwind instruments.

Planning the Program
Children participating in this Program will receive twice-a-week instrumental music tuition on the clarinet or saxophone. The plan for the music lessons will be put together in such a way as to meet the individual requirements of the children, i.e. the style of music which is they feel close to. Practice plans will be developed for different groups based on age, mental capability and level of disability. Groups of 3 or 4 children will be set up based on age, knowledge and mutual compatibility. It is important that during the lessons each child should receive the same weight of tuition relative to their capabilities. The aim is for them to listen and feel the music. Therefore, they have to react intensely both physically and emotionally. Toward the end of the lesson free, unguided improvisation tasks will be given so as to release the tension and to give expression to their "inner" musical ideas - to try to bring them to life. The aim is for the children to play an active role in music-making, to have a feel for the instrument and, thereby, to react to the outside world. It is not an easy task for such a child to find the right pitch of a note, the melody and the harmony which they have to develop and play using their inner hearing.

The most difficult part for the children is the lack of outside control which here is provided by the teacher. To find notes of the right pitch and tone and then to play and memorise these inwardly is a difficult task for children. They gain experience in rhythm, in creating sound, in blowing air into the right place and in breath control.

The Program Schedule
Timetable from September 2002 to June 2003

Locality:
Adolph Szabóky Technical Secondary School

Equipment required:
Musical instruments: 10 clarinets
10 saxophones
Music stands
Printed music books

Expert services required
József Balogh, clarinettist - Artistic and Musical Director of the Program
2 music teachers
1 doctor
1 psychologist

Expected Results
The parents of children with hearing difficulties have to deal with several special problems which require much time and energy. With the help of our Program the children's attention and time can be concentrated more on music and practice. Hence the family as a whole can be more united and less troubled from looking after the disabled child all the time. There will be more opportunities for the family to be together as a whole. The hard-of-hearing child will not stick out as he/she will have his/her own territory where he/she can do as much or more than the rest of the family. Due to the group music lessons, these children will have closer friends. They will get to know each other from a different angle and their social, group-participation and communication skills will also develop. This Program will also help the family and their wider surrounding contacts in their connection with the hard-of-hearing children and lift it to a higher level.

We should also consider the individuals' development, their self-esteem, the raising of their memory and thinking levels. It has been shown that children who are learning music develop greater mental ability compared with those who are not learning music. If the above is true of children with normal hearing, it must also be true of those with hearing problems. They have a greater need to develop these skills.

This Program will be able to give an opportunity to improve the life of damaged children. Due to learning a musical instrument both the child's and the parents' lives will become happier. The child can get into the music world which provides a new dimension. These are the reasons why we believe it to be so important to teach woodwind instruments to hard-of-hearing children. This Program will give a new opportunity to the age-group where they can develop their talents in a special and wide-ranging way.

Evaluation
We have to admit that to our knowledge the teaching of wind instruments for the above purpose has not yet been tried, hence our method would be unique. Music therapy as a medical alternative, on the other hand, has been used for a long time for different purposes.

The Children taking part in the Program, finishing the first year can start the second and can get to even higher levels. There are several examples of blind people getting to a high level in music. Via this Program, the hard-of-hearing community can also see how they can achieve more by learning music and hopefully more and more will join the Program.

Preparing the teachers who will take part in the Program is very important as they have to have empathy and patience, both of which qualities influence the success of teaching. Hence choosing suitable teachers is vital. We also have to achieve a common understanding between teachers and parents so that they all know what to expect, and to know where and when help is needed to the children. Obviously, these risks can be minimised by planning, checking and choosing the right experts.

Those children who will become music-lovers will make it a part of their lives. Music will become important for them, as will playing with other people and using it as a means of communication.

Pictures

The aims of the Beethoven Program

The Contents of the Program

Circumstances of the Project Creation

Preparation

Introduction of the Participants

Planning the Program

The Program Schedule

Expert services required

Expected Results

Evaluation

Pictures