Sound is simply vibrating air…

and for Evelyn Glennie, the percussionist who lost her hearing at the age of twelve, learning to “hear” music in a different way wasn't an option. It was a necessity. Glennie, passionate about percussion, is the first successful solo percussionist and has too many prestigious performances and awards to list here. Shannon Stocker describes Evelyn’s journey as a musician from her first lesson to her knighting by Queen Elizabeth in an inspirational book, Listen, with pictures by Devon Holzworth.

…Your body finds new ways to listen.

L👀K

feeling sound

Learn how Evelyn Glennie, professional percussionist, hears music despite being profoundly deaf.

2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony

1000 Drummers Led By Dame Evelyn Glennie

Strike up the band

Evelyn auditions for the Grouchkateers!

Listen 👂

Exceptional musicians

These talented musicians faced their challenges head on.

Learn ✍️

Evelyn Glennie is a profoundly deaf percussionist from Scotland.
Let’s learn little about the country she is from and some of the ways deaf people communicate.

Fast Facts: Scotland

• Population: 5.5 Million

• Official Languages: English and Scots Gaelic

• Capital City: Edinburgh

• National Animal: Unicorn

• National Tree: Scots Pine

• National Dish: Haggis (Meat Pudding)

Other Famous Scottish Musicians

Mary Garden, Patrick Doyle, Calvin Harris, Annie Lennox (from Eurythmics), The Proclaimers

Communication

Did you know there is an entire language that you can “speak” with your hands? American Sign Language (ASL) was created in the early. 1800’s at the American School for the Deaf in Connecticut. As many as 500,000 people communicate using ASL, which uses a combination of hand signals, finger spellings and body/facial expressions. Many signs are based upon gestures borrowed from the French version of ASL, called French Sign Language (LSF).

Some deaf people, such as Evelyn Glennie, are able to understand verbal communication by reading lips. Lip reading (or speechreading) is a technique that combines watching the movement of a speaker’s lips, tongue and teeth with an understanding the context of a conversation to make educated guesses about a speakers words.

💡Did You Know?💡

Most people know the words to describe the loss of hearing and sight, deaf and blind.
But what about the less common losses of smell, taste and touch?

Anosmia= Loss of smell

Ageusia = Loss of taste

Hypoesthesia= Loss of touch

The medical term for blindness is hemianopsia. The medical term for deafness is anacusis.

Links to learning

🎶-Evelyn Glennie’s Official Website

🎶-Britannica Kids: Scotland

🎶-National Association of the Deaf Website