Sound of Music

The Sound of Music
Part – 1 ( Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing it )
Vocabulary:
Percussion : musical instrument played by striking with the hand / stick
/ beater ( drums, cymbals, xylophone, rattle, ….)
Percussionist : a person / musician who plays the above instruments
Royal Academy of Music : an institution in London which provides undergraduate and

postgraduate training across instrumental performance,
composition, musical theatre, … ( established in 1822 )
Royal Philharmonic Society : a British Music Society formed in 1813 to promote

performances of instrumental music
Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children : A charity organization for helping hearing-impaired
children learn to communicate through musical speech
therapy
Question and Answers

Answer these questions in a few words or a couple of sentences each.
1. How old was Evelyn when she went to the Royal Academy of Music?
A. Evelyn was seventeen years old when she got admission in the Royal Academy of Music,
London. She was nervous as she boarded the train from Scotland as she lived on farms in the
countryside and was not exposed to the life in cities. Evelyn was excited as she was about to
begin her career in music which was her aim in life.

2. When was her deafness first noticed? When was it confirmed?
A. When Evelyn was eight years old, her mother, Isabelle Glennie noticed that Evelyn did not
respond to her name being called out at the piano class. Evelyn’s loss of hearing was gradual
and for some time she was able to hide her disability from her teachers and friends. By the time
she turned eleven, her marks deteriorated, and her parents took her to a doctor. Then, it was
discovered that Evelyn was profoundly deaf.

3. Who helped her to continue with music? What did he do and say?
A. Evelyn was discouraged by her teachers but master – percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her
talent and potential. He guided Evelyn to feel music some other way rather than hearing it. He
got two large drums and tuned them to different notes. When he played the drums, Evelyn
reacted to the distinct notes differently. She realized that she could feel the higher notes
produced by one of the drums through the upper part of her body, above the waist and the lower
notes of the other drum through the lower part of her body, below the waist. This worked well
for Evelyn and gradually, she found that she could sense different sounds and vibrations
through different parts of her body.

4. Name the various places and causes for which Evelyn performs.
A. Evelyn made her first tour at the age of sixteen, when she performed with a youth orchestra.
She toured the United Kingdom and after that tour she decided that she would make a career in
music. She has made her name in the field of music. Evelyn is a popular musician with a busy
international schedule. Apart from the regular concerts, she also does charity and performs for
hospitals and prisons. Evelyn also holds classes for young musicians.

Answer the question in two or three paragraphs (100–150 words).

1. How does Evelyn hear music?
A. Evelyn Glennie was passionate about music but unfortunately, she lost her sense of hearing
by the age of eleven. She wanted to learn playing the xylophone but was discouraged by her
teachers. They opined that as she could not hear, she could not learn music. Master
percussionist Ron Forbes spotted Evelyn’s potential. He guided her to feel music some other
way than to hear it through her ears. He trained her by tuning two large drums to different notes.
Evelyn realized that she could sense different sounds and vibrations through different parts of
her body. She could feel the higher notes produced by one of the drums through the upper part
of her body, above the waist and the lower notes of the other drum through the lower part of her
body, below the waist. This experiment worked well for Evelyn and she responded to the finer
sounds of music too.
Evelyn can feel music penetrate her body though various parts – cheeks, hair, skin, etc. When
she plays the xylophone, she feels the sound move from the sticks into her finger tips. When the
drums are played, she can feel the echo of the drum beats through her body. Evelyn removes
her footwear as she performs on a wooden floor so that she can feel the vibrations produced by
different instruments pass through her feet up her legs. Thus, Evelyn has sensitized her body to
music.
For those who wanted to know:
This is from Wikipedia
As per our current Database, Evelyn Glennie is still alive (as per Wikipedia, Last update: September 20,
2019).Feb 10, 2020

Sound of Music

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The Sound of Music

Part – 1 ( Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing it )

Percussionist : a person / musician who plays the above instruments

Royal Academy of Music : an institution in London which provides undergraduate and

Royal Philharmonic Society : a British Music Society formed in 1813 to promote

Question and Answers

For those who wanted to know:

This is from Wikipedia

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