*For this paper, all students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing impaired will be referred to as deaf

since the point is to reference students who have varying degrees of hearing loss that affect their communication and

education.

Music education is a crucial aspect of a well-rounded education in public schools, but

deaf students are commonly excluded from it because of the assumption of inability or failure in

music. Research has shown that deaf students can and do participate in music education with

success, although there are endless ways to better their overall experience. I will discuss the

current methods of deaf inclusivity in music education, as well as steps to improve the strategies

and resources that can be used to create a more welcoming environment for deaf students.

Hearing loss is tested multiple times at very young ages to detect potential problems as

early as possible. In the case that a child does have hearing loss, there will be appropriate

measures taken to determine whether it is temporary or permanent. The level of communication

delays depends on the severity of hearing loss- it can be mild or severe. If severe, then the

probability of accurate speech declines and communication will become a largely physical

component (Smith, 2021). In core subject classes, deaf students can use technology or other

methods of translation (closed captioned videos, ASL translator, etc.) to receive information

since most of it is in a lecture format. However, while a music class can have lessons in a lecture

format, the success of the class relies on the student’s ability to identify their own mistakes

through trial and error. This results in deaf students sitting on the sideline for many music classes

since they will need immediate individual feedback on their playing, and many times the school

does not have the resources to provide anything beyond specified technology access (Kyriakou,

2021).

Schools often promote the use of Roger Pens, which is a pen that has a microphone inside

of it that clips to a teacher’s shirt. The microphone wirelessly connects to a student’s hearing aid
and other students are not aware that their peer has accommodations (De Ceulaer, et al, 2015).

People with varying degrees of hearing loss have the option of hearing assistant technology

(HAT), which can assist in loud settings. People have reported that higher voices tend to be

clearer, while lower voices sound distorted or unclear (Schraer-Joiner, 2014). There are more

recent developments that allow HAT settings to be adjusted specifically for music, which has

become more common in the classroom. However, many people report that changing the setting

to music distorts the sound of voices, which creates a problem in a music classroom where music

and vocal instruction is being exchanged quickly. All these types of technology work to a certain

degree and depend on the student’s individual situation, but there is still a wide gap between the

clarity of instruction between deaf students and their hearing peers.

To expand on the possibilities of technology in a music class, I was surprised to see how

little SmartMusic was discussed for deaf students. In terms of individual feedback, SmartMusic

is considered a useful tool for students to practice reading rhythms and note names on their own

(Luo, Ly, 2021). It has settings for all instruments and ranges to consider creating responses as

accurately as possible. In terms of making SmartMusic accessible to the student financially, I

would consider opening a discussion with the school to include it in the student’s necessary

accommodations. Another potentially useful technology is pulse technology. This is a small

wristband that is wirelessly connected to a remote and gives pulses as a tactile metronome

instead of an auditory one. This is an example of technology that would benefit deaf students as

well as their hearing peers- an auditory metronome can create a crutch that is easy to rely on

(Schraer-Joiner, 2014). Using this technology is a way for deaf students to have accessibility to a

necessary skill to play music in a normalized setting.

Normalized settings for deaf students in music have wide ranges. There are deaf child

musicians who are very advanced for their age because they had advocators and resources, and
then there are the students who are encouraged to just sit in the classroom and not participate.

Often, deaf students who become advanced musicians had a setting where they were encouraged

to participate by an adult, either teacher, parent, or friend (Edwards, 2016). The students who

have to navigate a classroom on their own experience more isolationism and negative social

experiences (Silvestre, Valero, 2005). To combat this, the classroom environment must be

established with this in mind from day one. In the days leading up to choosing instruments, why

not let the deaf student come in early and choose what instrument they can hear or feel best? This

lets the teacher get to know the student, as well as get a sense of what steps they can take to

make sure the student has appropriate support and technology to get started and keep up with the

rest of the class.

The support students have is seen mostly through parents, teachers, and friends. Teachers

can subtly influence the support from friends through small groups, but parents are an unknown

until an in-person conversation is had. Regarding students that have had hearing loss for most of

their life, continuing the open conversations that were started by the IEP meetings is important to

maintain the open line of communication between all parties (Fligor, 2015). However, for the

students that are either undiagnosed or go without accommodations, starting that line of

communication as early as possible is necessary to make sure the student succeeds. Teachers

focus on how to teach the students music, but what about the parents? Most deaf students are

born to hearing parents, and the chances of the parents being musicians is low. I suggest that

more effort be made to engage the parents in their child’s musical education so there is a wider

understanding of how their child learns best. If the parents, teacher, and student all have a similar

understanding of what accommodations and learning styles work for the student, then the student

will have a much stronger support system both at school and home and will have higher levels of

musical success (Meeks, Jain, Laird, 2021).

 There are many tools and resources available for deaf students, but teachers rarely know

the most efficient ways to utilize them for their students. Students that have grown up deaf pre-

speech are usually well-versed in the technology and accommodations in their classrooms, so

they are relied upon to make decisions on how they want to learn based on their previous

experiences. While taking their experiences into consideration is necessary, another question to

ask is “Is the student or teacher creating the most opportunities for musical advancement?”. If the

answer is the student, then there is a problem with how the classroom is run. The teacher should

be constantly thinking outside of the box about new ways for the student to be more engaged and

included in a music classroom, both musically and socially (Schraer-Joiner, 2014). Music

education classrooms are widely known for the opportunity for all types of students to

participate, so pushing that expectation to incorporate deaf students will benefit all who

participate in music.

Works Cited

Smith, R. J. H. (2022, March 15). The hearing-impaired patient: What the future holds.
Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00439-022-
02447-8.pdf
Ceulaer, G. de, Bestel, J., Mulder, H. E., Goldbeck, F., Janssens de Varebeck, S. P., & Govaerts,
P. J. (2015, May 16). Speech understanding in noise with the Roger Pen, Naida CI Q70
Processor, and Integrated Roger 17 Receiver in a Multi-Talker Network. Retrieved May 2,
2023, from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00405-015-3643-4.pdf
Schraer-Joiner, L. E. (2014, August 8). ProQuest Ebook Central. Music for Children with
Hearing Loss: a Resource for Parents and Teachers. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from
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Kyriakou, K. (2021). EBSCO Information Services. Teaching music to Deaf students: A personal
reflection. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from
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Lv, H. Z., & Luo, J. (2021). Creative approaches in music teaching: Possiblities of Web 2.0
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Edwards, J. (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from
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Silvestre, N., & Valero, J. (2005). Oral language acquisition by deaf pupils in primary
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