Our Journey with Music

by Kara Flowers, Washington H&V

When I was a little girl, music filled our home. My dad had a wonderful bass voice and he liked to sing tunes from the 1950’s. My sisters and I played many instruments. One of the things I looked forward to most when I became a mom was passing down my love of music. When my son refused to try to sing or even dance along to kids’ music, I was disappointed, but thought more exposure might be all he needed (we did not know then about his hearing loss; he suffered a brain injury at birth, but passed his newborn hearing screen so we were focused on his other health issues). I saw his eyes light up at the state fair when we watched the Native Americans dancing with their drums beating loudly in the background. The next morning, I was awakened to a very loud beating noise and yelling. I went running to my son’s room and found him copying the dancers’ actions and rhythms. I felt like I had finally found the key to my son’s musical enjoyment.

We enjoyed playing rhythms together and I marveled at how natural drumming was to him. But I still worried that he did not seem to sing to any song, even when in preschool. We took him in for several hearing tests, but surprisingly they could not find the issue. By the time he started kindergarten, he had been tested over 10 times with no result!  His teacher advocated that we re-test him with a private provider and he finally was diagnosed with severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at the age of six-and-a-half.  Finally, we knew how to help him!  He just needed some extra accommodations to enjoy music. We visited a church with a Deaf congregation that utilized an interpreter. Watching my son sign a song for the first time brought me to tears. At seven years of age, he finally could access music!

He is now nine years old and I have taught him to play piano. He has also joined our church choir, dances ballet and jazz, and continues to enjoy drumming. Music has brought so much joy to his life and has become a part of his identity. I am glad that we persevered.  ~

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Tennessee H&V Chapter newsletter and was adapted for The Communicator. Flowers is a Parent Guide with the Washington Chapter.

H&V Communicator – Spring 2020