I have said it before and I’ll say it again…EVERY child can and should learn music. I never want any student to feel like they can’t learn music because of a disability. In this blog post, I want to give you ideas for how to teach music to the hearing impaired child. Some of the most gifted musicians have had a hearing impairment, but they did not let that hinder them.
This podcast episode with Kelly Surette goes into a lot more detail on how to teach music to deaf and hearing impaired students.
Famous Musicians with Hearing Impairments
One of my all time favorite composers is Ludwig van Beethoven. He started losing his hearing in his 20’s, yet went on to compose some of the most famous piano and orchestra works of all time. He would lay on the floor next to the piano while composing some of his pieces to feel the vibrations from the keys. Chris Martin of “Coldplay” has struggled with tinnitus for 10 years, yet has gone on to have a successful career as a lead singer for one of the most famous bands of today. Will.i.am of “The Black Eyed Peas” has said that every time there is silence, it causes a ringing in his ears, which makes him want to keep on creating music.
Every Hearing Impairment is Different
There will be a wide array hearing impairments. You may have student’s who are completely deaf and need a sign language interpreter and student’s who have only slight hearing loss and need hearing aids or have chochlear implants. Understanding the needs of the child with the hearing impairment is the first step in knowing how to best go about teaching them music. Children with a hearing impairment want you to know them just like any other student and want to learn music. It is our job as their music teacher to get to know them and how we can best help them learn.
How to Teach
Children with a hearing impairment can develop a strong sense of rhythm by using body percussion to learn popular songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Using clapping, stomping, snapping, and patting, children can sway and march to the beat or the rhythms that they memorized by echo learning. More advanced music student’s can learn songs by reading the score just like any other piano or orchestra student. They may not be able to hear what they are playing if they are completely deaf, but they can feel the vibrations by taking their shoes off. While learning a song, deaf children will have a sign language interpreter with them most of the time. If the child is not comfortable or is unable to sing the song, they can sign the words and participate by playing an instrument part or doing the motions.
Involve the Other Student’s
One of my favorite things to do was to take a simple song and teach the sign language to it. In music, we are constantly learning music from other countries and cultures, yet learning to sign is just as important. For a child with a hearing impairment, having their classmates make an effort to sign a song with them, will make them feel like they are part of the group and included. Have one of the student’s sit next to the child with the hearing impairment so they can be a leader while playing a rhythm on the rhythm sticks, or while doing the motions to a song.
Do you have a child at home or in your class with a hearing impairment? What are your favorite ways to teach music to these children?
Hi, I’m going to use your article for my article analysis, so when was this article published?
April 1, 2017
This was awesome and I am so glad it led me to your podcast…listened to one episode while doing research for a paper (senior music education student) and now I’m down the rabbit hole starting at the beginning! Thank you so much, you are an inspiration for sure
Thank you so much for this! I’m a student teacher going on my first school placement and there is a deaf child in my class. I was worried that I would not be able to include her in my music lessons but now I have some great ideas (:. Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad you found this blog post helpful! I have complete confidence in you. Let me know if you have any questions as you begin your music teaching journey. Congrats!
I appreciate you commenting. I will make sure to use the word Deaf for now on. I really meant no offense at all. I have friends who are Deaf and had students also who were and some of them used the phrase hearing impaired, but now after looking at your link and others I see that it’s an offensive phrase. Thank you for letting me know.
I never really thought about how they would listen and learn music. This looks like a great way to teach them.
Thank you!
I love how inclusive your blog and educational practice are. You work hard to help all learners access and benefit from music. Truly inspiring.
Thank you so much. That is one of my main goals! To help every child learn music.
Oh I love the idea of teaching the sign language of a song to a child! As a primary school teacher, we come across students of various abilities and some with disabilities. I think it is important to include all children in every lesson, so I love these simple ways to include hearing impaired children in music. Thank you!
Oh thank you so much!
I am going to pass this on to my friend who is a music teacher! Thank you for this!
Oh thank you!
This is awesome! I love the use of body percussion to teach rhythm!
Thank you very much!
I love these tips! I especially like the part about famous musicians with hearing impairments! Very inspiring!
Thank you! I agree!
These are great ideas for how to teach music to those with hearing impairments! I know the feeling of the vibrations from the music can be really soothing for them just like the sound of music is soothing to those who can hear. Great post!
Thank you so much!
My little sister is severely hearing impaired, my mother and I both played musical instruments and wanted to teach my sister how to appreciate music. The vibrations of music can be soothing to their ears and they feel it a lot more than us, so music was definitely her favorite thing.
Oh that’s amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this!