2. Objectives of the Playlist
Playlist- Eng, The Sound of music
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Starter activity
About the author
Reading section
Summary of the lesson
Watch a Video on the performance of Evelyn Glennie
Questions
Homework
3. Starter Activity
Let’s Do It
1- Name your favorite artist and a
song they wrote.
2- What do you think are the good
side of music?
4. About the author
DEBORAH COWLEY
Deborah Cowley is a freelance writer and broadcaster.
She grew up in Toronto, graduated from the University
of Western Ontario and moved to Ottawa to work for
the Unitarian Service Committee. She spent two years
with UNHCR (United Nations Relief and Works
Agency) in Beirut before moving back to Ottawa and a
job with CIDA. As she traveled the world with her
diplomat husband, she worked as a reporter for CBC
radio in Washington, D.C. and on a posting to Cairo,
she worked on several TV documentaries for
CBC’s Man Alive. Also in Egypt, she wrote the first
official guide book to Cairo since Baedeker’s guide in
the 1940’s.
5. Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie (born 19 July 1965)
is a Scottish percussionist. Glennie
was born in Methlick,
Aberdeenshire in Scotland.
The indigenous musical
traditions of north-east Scotland
were important in her development
as a musician. Her first instruments
were the piano and the clarinet.
6. Reading the Lesson
Rush hour crowds jostle for position on the underground train
platform. A slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen
years, was nervous yet excited as she felt the vibrations of
the approaching train. It was her first day at the prestigious
Royal Academy of Music in London and daunting enough for
any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm. But this aspiring
musician faced a bigger challenge than most: she was
profoundly deaf.
7. Summary of Para 1#
The starting of the story takes place in a Train station where a
girl slightly younger than her seventeens was standing there.
She was both nervous and excited. She could feel the
vibration of the upcoming train. It was her first time in the
prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London. The journey
from a small Scottish farm was daunting enough. This young
musician had to face a bigger challenge than most, she was
profoundly (partially) deaf.
8. Reading the Lesson
Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual. Her mother
remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old
Evelyn was waiting to play the piano. “They called her name and she
didn’t move. I suddenly realized she hadn’t heard,” says Isabel
Glennie. For quite a while Evelyn managed to conceal her growing
deafness from friends and teachers. But by the time she was eleven
her marks had deteriorated and her headmistress urged her parents
to take her to a specialist. It was then discovered that her hearing
was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage. They
were advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to
a school for the deaf. “Everything suddenly looked black,” says
Evelyn.
9. Summary of Para 2#
This paragraph is flashback of Evelyn’s hearing which was gradual.
Her mother, Isabel Glennie says that she remembers Evelyn waiting
to play piano at the age of eight. When they called her, she wouldn’t
move. It was at this time that her mother realized that something is
wrong with Evelyn. She was able to conceal it with her friends and
teachers for while but, when she was eleven, her marks were very
low and her headmistress had urged her parents to take her to a
specialist. It was then discovered that her hearing had been
impaired because of gradual nerve damage. They advised her to put
hearing aids on and to send her to a school for deaf people.
”Everything suddenly looks black.”-says Evelyn
10. Reading the Lesson
But Evelyn was not going to give up. She was determined to lead a
normal life and pursue her interest in music. One day she noticed a
girl playing a xylophone and decided that she wanted to play it too.
Most of the teachers discouraged her but percussionist Ron Forbes
spotted her potential. He began by tuning two large drums to
different notes. “Don’t listen through your ears,” he would say, “try to
sense it some other way.” Evelyn said, “Suddenly I realized I could
feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the
waist down.” Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon Evelyn
discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of
her body. “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds and
vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work.
11. Summary of Para 3#
Even after the impairment in her hearing, she was determined to
focus on her passion and go after it. Once she saw a girl playing a
xylophone and she also wanted to play it. While most of the teachers
discouraged her, percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential and
decided to help her reach her goal. He began by tuning two large
drums to different notes. “Don’t listen through your ears,” he would
say, “try to sense it some other way.” Evelyn said, “Suddenly I
realized I could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower
one from the waist down.” Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon
Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different
parts of her body. “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds
and vibrations.” The rest was her full determination and hardwork.
12. Reading the Lesson
She never looked back from that point onwards. She toured
the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time
she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She
auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of
the highest marks in the history of the academy. She
gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances.
At the end of her three-year course, she had captured most of
the top awards.
13. Summary of Para 4#
She never looked back at her past. She toured with youth
orchestra in London. She auditioned for the Royal Academy
of Music and passed with one of the highest marks in the
history. She moved from orchestral to solo performance. By
the end of her three year course, she had many awards.
14. Reading the Lesson
And for all this, Evelyn won’t accept any hint of
heroic achievement. “If you work hard and know
where you are going, you’ll get there.” And she got
right to the top, the world’s most sought-after
multipercussionist with a mastery of some
thousand instruments, and hectic international
schedule.
15. Summary of Para 5#
Evelyn did not take any credit for any of the
achievements. She said- “If you work hard and
know where you are going, you’ll get there.” She
got the top in the world of music as a
multipercussionist who could play a thousand
instruments.
16. Reading the Lesson
It is intriguing to watch Evelyn function so effortlessly without
hearing. In our two-hour discussion she never missed a word.
“Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she laughed. “It is
not just watching the lips, it’s the whole face, especially the
eyes.” She speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt. “My speech
is clear because I could hear till I was eleven,” she says. But
that doesn’t explain how she managed to learn French and
master basic Japanese.
17. Summary of Para 6#
It is pretty surprising to see the way Evelyn effortless plays
the instrument without hearing anything. In the two –hour
discussion between the author and Evelyn, she never missed
a word. “Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she
laughed. “It is not just watching the lips, it’s the whole face,
especially the eyes.” She speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt.
“My speech is clear because I could hear till I was eleven,”
she says. But then it still does not explain how she was able
to learn French and Japanese.
18. Reading the Lesson
As for music, she explains, “It pours in through
every part of my body. It tingles in the skin, my
cheekbones and even in my hair.” When she plays
the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing
up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning against
the drums, she can feel the resonances flowing into
her body. On a wooden platform she removes her
shoes so that the vibrations pass through her bare
feet and up her legs.
19. Summary of Para 7#
As for music, she explains, “It pours in through
every part of my body. It tingles in the skin, my
cheekbones and even in my hair.” When she plays
xylophone, she could feel the vibrations through
her finger tips. When she would play drums, she
would lean a bit so that she could feel the
resonance flow into her body. Whenever she was
supposed to play on wooden surface she would
remove her shoes so that she could feel the
vibrations flow through her bare foot.
20. Reading the Lesson
Not surprisingly, Evelyn delights her audiences. In
1991 she was presented with the Royal
Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the
Year Award. Says master percussionist James
Blades, “God may have taken her hearing but he
has given her back something extraordinary. What
we hear, she feels — far more deeply than any of
us. That is why she expresses music so
beautifully.”
21. Summary of Para 8#
It was not at all surprising that she would delight
her audiences. She was presented with the ‘Royal
Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the
Year’ award in 1991. Says master percussionist
James Blades, “God may have taken her hearing
but he has given her back something extraordinary.
What we hear, she feels — far more deeply than
any of us. That is why she expresses music so
beautifully.”
22. Reading the Lesson
Evelyn confesses that she is something of a workaholic.
“I’ve just got to work ... often harder than classical
musicians. But the rewards are enormous.” Apart from
the regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free concerts in
prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to
classes for young musicians. Ann Richlin of the
Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says, “She is a
shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there
is nowhere that they cannot go.”
23. Summary of Para 9#
Evelyn has confessed that she is something of a
workaholic. “I’ve just got to work ... often harder than
classical musicians. But the rewards are enormous.”-
says Evelyn. Apart from the normal concerts, she hosts
concert in hospitals and prisons for free. She also gives
high priority to classes for young musicians. Ann Richlin
of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says, “She is a
shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there
is nowhere that they cannot go.”
24. Reading the Lesson
Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished more
than most people twice her age. She has brought
percussion to the front of the orchestra, and
demonstrated that it can be very moving. She has
given inspiration to those who are handicapped,
people who look to her and say, ‘If she can do it, I
can.’ And, not the least, she has given enormous
pleasure to millions.
25. Summary of Para 10#
Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished more
than most people twice her age. She brought
percussion in front of orchestra. She has also
inspired millions of people. She has also made
handicapped people more motivated. Because of
her, many people can be heard saying, ‘If she can
do it, I can.’
27. Questions Time
How did Evelyn’s Mother discover that Evelyn had difficulty
hearing?
When Evelyn was eight years old, she was waiting to play
piano. When they called her name, she did not move.
Why was Evelyn excited and nervous when she was at the
train station?
She was excited because it was her first day at the
prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London. She was
nervous because unlike most other musicians, she was
deaf.
28. Write a summary of the lesson on your own
and present it in class
Homework