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.