Child with Cochlear Implant Plays Clarinet at School...Your Hearing Impaired Child Can Play in the Band too!

My daughter came home from school a few years ago, and said that she was interested in playing in the band. I was a bit concerned that band wasn't going to be for her since she was deaf. However, when the new school year begun and I went to the parent meeting. During the parent meeting, I visited with the instructors because I wasn't sure she was capable of playing the instrument that they wanted her to play. I felt that drums was the best option for her since they were LOUD and she could feel the vibrations. The instructor informed me that the drum line was already filled and that she would have to pick another instrument. They told me that the clarinet was the easiest instrument for deaf children to play because they can feel the vibrations of the notes when they play.

So I took the plunge and agreed to purchase her a clarinet. I purchased a used clarinet because I didn't want to spend a ton of money on it in case my daughter changed her mind, considering she was in the 6th grade when she started.

My daughter has amazed me with her ability to learn how to play the clarinet and take an interest in music. She has proved me wrong, and taught me a valuable lesson, Don't doubt her abilities just because she is deaf. She does have a cochlear implant which gives her the ability to hear music as well.

Music has helped her with her other school work. Her grades have improved since she began playing the clarinet three years ago. She has always struggled with reading; however, we saw an improvement in her grades. Band has opened her mind to a new way of learning and stimulated other areas of her brain.

Once a child learns how to read and play music, they can easily learn how to play more than one instrument with a little practice. My daughter is currently playing just the clarinet; however, she could easily learn how to play guitar or the keyboard.

I wish that I learned music as a child because I wish I could learn how to play the piano and read music. I have attempted to learn how to play but I have issues with using both hands and I can't get the rhythm down. With a little instruction, I probably could learn how to play.