Beginnings of song in young deaf children using cochlear implants: the song they move, the song they feel, the song they share

Abstract

This paper focuses on the singing activity of prelingually deaf children under four years of age who are using cochlear implants (CIs) and presents a strand of a larger study that aimed to observe, record and analyse the musical activity of seven profoundly deaf children using CIs in the UK, for a period of one calendar year. The singing activity of deaf children has been the focus of only a limited number of studies. This paper presents the singing behaviour of very young deaf children viewed as a holistic, communicative experience and part of their general music-making that develops in time and in the company of others. In this paper, I analyse one example from the data and discuss various parameters that are involved in song openings of deaf children: the presence of significant others, preference for song material, reproduction of the structural aspects of song, kinesthetic and emotional involvement in singing and re-enactment of song experiences in the children's own private spaces.

Keywords:

• cochlear implants
• singing
• early childhood music
• prelingually deaf children
• profound deafness

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to all the children, parents and professionals who took part in this study.

Notes

1. For the needs of this paper, I use the term ‘deaf’ to describe profoundly deaf children who are using CIs. I acknowledge the fact that some people who identify themselves as culturally deaf often choose to describe themselves as ‘Deaf’ rather than ‘deaf’.

2. Prelingually deaf children are children who are hard of hearing or deaf at birth or acquire hearing loss before the development of speech and language (Sharma 2006).

3. Children can receive the implant at 12 months and in some cases even younger.

4. Receiving an implant in both ears.

5. Only one ear implanted.

6. Results of preliminary studies indicate that preservation of low-frequency acoustic hearing is important for perceiving musical stimuli (Gfeller et al. 2006).

7. Other types of vocalisation that appeared during play on musical instruments were considered equally valuable in the context of the larger study.

8. Favourite songs included the songs the parents reported as such (songs the children requested to sing at home with the parents or siblings) and also, in the two school settings, songs that appeared to draw children's attention the most.

9. Rb's cause of deafness is unknown. At the time of data collection, he had one year of experience with the CI (Nucleus24 device).

10. Evidence shows that the beat in children's songs is steady within phrases and sometimes across phrases (Dowling 1984).

11. It has been found that the amount of time devoted to active, focused listening to music was significantly correlated with perceptual accuracy for rhythm, pitch, timbral recognition and reports of musical enjoyment (Gfeller et al. 2000).