CA Update - Debbie Vanderford

Debbie Vanderford lives in East Sacramento with her husband Ken and their dog Quake. They have two amazing daughters, Katherine and Meghan. Debbie was born loving three things; dogs, popcorn and the color yellow.

The Power of Music and Great Teachers!

This story I have told numerous times in many different settings, especially around musicians and teachers. It's a story of great teachers and a determined deaf student who wanted to play the trumpet, just like his older brother and Dad, who both had the advantage of hearing.

After retirement (I was an Educational Interpreter for the Deaf for 30 years), I was asked if I wanted to come back and be a classroom aide in the same Deaf and Hard of Hearing classroom I retired from. Missing the students and staff I had worked with for many years I was very happy for the opportunity to sub a few days a week. Little did I know that school year would have such a profound impact on me, the DHH classroom and the entire school. All because of a deaf young man named Matthew and a music teacher named Ms. Wassum.

Music and band are not normally a class deaf students ever choose to take as an elective because they can't hear the music, but that didn't stop Matthew, who at the time was a 7th grader. Matthew had many elective choices; wood shop, art, drama and photography, but he told his homeroom teacher Ms. Vicari he wanted to play trumpet in the school band. Ms. Vicari, being Deaf herself had never let her Deafness stop her from achieving her goals and desires. While instilling the same assertiveness and confidences to all of her students, she said of course to Matthew, but knew there would be hurdles beginning with the need to talk and meet the music teacher.

Ms. Wassum admitted later that she was very nervous and didn't have a clue about having a deaf student in her music class, or how best to teach and pass on the love of music to Matthew. But, she too like Ms. Vicari said, "YES."

My small part in helping make Matthew's band class successful was to count out the measures and the beat keeping him together with the rest of the band, while his interpreters kept him informed of classroom instruction and student questions.

The first day of the quarter, beginning band started for Matthew and many other students all just wanting to make music together. Some of the students had never played before just like Matthew, and in that time and space of two years beautiful friendships developed, respect and awareness were present, and the pure joy and love of music happened daily in beginning band class.

Matthew practiced his trumpet each day and with the help of Ms. Wassum achieved his goals and he became a trumpet player. He played in every school concert for the next two years of middle school with his proud parents in the front row watching their son make music and break barriers for Deaf students. Matthew went on to high school in Elk Grove where he played in the school's marching band. Many of us got to see him shine on the field during half time and in the stands playing his trumpet. It was such a joy to watch him perform.

Music embraces all languages, regardless of how you experience it. For Matthew, who is Hard of Hearing and wears a hearing aid, he is guided by feeling the vibrations of sounds being executed by player and instrument, rather than hearing the sound.

Side notes, Ms. Vicari continues to inspire her Deaf students to do hard things. Her students last year took first place in a dance and lip-sync competition, known as Air Rock. One of the Deaf students said it feels so good when hearing students know who we are and say, "Hi" to us during lunch and during classes.

Ms. Wassum continues to inspire the love of music with her many different classes; Jazz Band, Ukulele, Choir, Beginning and Advanced Bands, and continues to make music as the principle clarinetists in the Auburn Symphony. She recently was nominated for teacher of the year in her school district.

~ Debbie Vanderford