Music was always blasting through our house growing up. My mom, a Deaf performer, would crank up MTV and let loose. I was in awe of the way her hands and body moved to our favorite Mariah Carey songs. Mom would film herself performing, and then upload the captioned videos to YouTube, so I could rewatch and follow along. It helped me gain a deeper understanding of the songs as she conveyed them.
As I got older, I learned to navigate my own style of signing songs, incorporating beats and rhythms and modulations. Today, I perform ASL with all kinds of musical acts, all over the world. Earlier this year, I had the honor of becoming the first Deaf woman to perform ASL at the Super Bowl halftime show. When I'm on stage, I like to identify and embody every nuance—every emotion of a song, just like my mom did. One of the biggest misconceptions about our community is that we can't feel, hear, or enjoy music. That couldn't be further from the truth. Our experience is different, but that's what makes it beautiful. |
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