GEORGE TOWN – When people believe the impossible, the impossible happens. That was what a group of nine deaf youths did in 2007 when they decided to play the Chinese drum.
It started as a project by Pusat Majudiri Y for the Deaf at Kuala Lumpur’s YMCA, and coupled with their determination, they decided that they could “hear” the drums through vibrations.
However, it was no easy feat as they had to work against their disability, finding creative ways to develop sounds that they ultimately cannot hear. In place of sound, they watched intently to understand and learnt to count to the beat by having a coach tap on their shoulders as they memorised each one.
To ensure each tap on the drum is coordinated, they learned to read each other with their eyes.
Together, they banded to form DeafBeat.
Since November 2007, they have staged 124 performances both locally and internationally.
They worked for ATC during a Paralympic event in Hong Kong in 2008 through the Brave Festival 2016 in Wroclaw, Poland. They celebrated their 10th Anniversary Concert in 2017 entitled ‘Inner Voices’.
However, after a slew of successes over the past 15 years, they decided to do more to promote deaf awareness to the public by conducting workshops.
DeafBeat manager Morley Ng told The Vibes that deaf culture emphasises body gestures and visual communication. However, it is something many of us without hearing disabilities take for granted.
“The idea is to set up a teaching system that is fully conducted by deaf drummers.
“During the workshop, there is no interpreter.
“Participants are ‘forced’ to understand the body language and gestures demonstrated by the deaf instructors to learn the basic Chinese drumming technique and Malaysian sign language (BIM) gestures,” she said.
During the 90-minute workshop, attendees get to watch DeafBeat’s performance and learn a bit of sign language. Then, they get into the practical side of drumming, where the next 45 minutes are dedicated to watching and mimicking the drum play.
Their first workshop was held in April 2022 in Kuala Lumpur. Due to popular demand, a second workshop was held in January this year before they travelled northward to Penang to host their third workshop, DeafBeat 3.0 at Penang House of Music (PHoM).
PHoM operations manager Kevin Theseira told The Vibes that the workshop gave participants more than just music training. More importantly, it gives a voice to the voiceless.
“As a person who isn’t hearing impaired, it was very easy to understand the instructions given by the teachers. They literally show you how to do it and it really is a test of hand-eye coordination.
“There was a nine-year-old girl who had excellent hand-eye coordination. She literally picked up the whole pattern for the song that was taught by the instructor, Harry.
“It was a surprise when we all found out that Harry could play other musical instruments such as guitar, piano and even the Erhu,” he said.
DeafBeat’s coach Lee Mok Yee is also open to approaching the deaf community in different states that are keen to pick up the Chinese drum. It takes approximately one year for a deaf drummer to pick up drumming with the team to a point where it is presentable to the public.
Though their drumming can prove to be loud to those who can hear, drumming is an activity that excites the deaf. This is because they are exhilarated when they feel the vibrations from the drums. – The Vibes, May 26, 2022
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