SINGAPORE - On the surface, this primary school choir sounds like any other, a harmonious ensemble of voices. But a closer look at the devices worn around their ears reveals something truly special – every member of this choir has hearing loss.
Canossian School offers choir and percussion band as co-curricular activities (CCAs). These CCAs are geared towards teaching and engaging children diagnosed with hearing loss.
Ms Christina Michael, principal of Canossian School, said music-related activities benefit children with hearing loss in many ways. “For children with hearing loss who are learning how to listen and speak, music stimulates the brain and enhances their communication skills. Exposure to music can help them to understand sound concepts like timbre, tone quality and rhythmic timing and develop their speech patterns.”
Fifty-nine of the 63 pupils at Canossian School either sing in the choir or play an instrument in the percussion band.
Ms Irene Jansen, 55, has been the choir instructor for Canossian School since 2016. With nearly two decades of experience as a vocal coach, she has also put together other choir performances sung by differently abled individuals.
She said: “There are two kinds of applause. The audience can say ‘Okay, they did a good job, well done’. Or they applaud from the heart and see how much these children can achieve. It’s my responsibility as a teacher to let my students experience that applause.”
Even with the assistance of hearing aids, pupils with hearing loss may struggle to match pitch and sing in tune. While she may take two to three sessions to teach a normal choir, Ms Jansen said that it takes around five to six sessions for Canossian School’s choir to learn a song from scratch.
She added: “When we start, we take it slow. Every single note they sing has to be repeated until they’ve got it. Sometimes, I’ll slow down the song’s speed so that every note is heard clearly.
“It may take a longer time to teach, but the result is beautiful.”
Ms Jansen also records audio guides for her pupils to access online. Pupils can practise singing techniques at home and familiarise themselves with the melody before choir sessions every Friday.
She said: “Singing builds their confidence. At first, most of them are quiet. They don’t want to talk or sing because they aren’t used to hearing their own voice. But today, all my choir members are chatty and loud. They aren’t afraid any more.
“We give them a voice now so they can speak up for themselves in the future.”
Mr Richard Ter, 34, has been Canossian School’s lead band instructor for 17 straight years. Instructing Canossian School’s percussion band was Mr Ter’s first foray into teaching music.
He said: “I treat this band the same as any other band. Everyone has their forte. The pupils here may have difficulty hearing, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are talented.”
Instead of raising his voice, Mr Ter prefers to use basic sign language to communicate with his pupils during their bi-weekly band sessions.
He added: “Their observation skills are actually better than most kids. This is important because when I conduct, the band must pay attention to me and read my expressions.”
In 2020, Canossian School’s percussion band performed at the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation, performing alongside their peers from mainstream schools.
Mr Ter said: “Many band members join the band in secondary school after graduation. One of my old students, Anastasia, is a very talented drumset player and took up extra lessons outside of school. I think she still performs to this day.”
The band has performed in many local events and taken part in music exchange programmes in Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan. Recently on March 18, both the choir and percussion band performed at MacPherson Community Club to commemorate World Hearing Day.
On Dec 8, 2022, Canossian School’s choir performed at the official opening of the Children’s Museum Singapore. One of the young performers was Ishaan Hitesh Doshi, 11, who was diagnosed with hearing loss in his right ear.
He said: “My favourite part was when we sang and danced to Candyman. I love being in the choir because we all get to make music together.”
Mr Hitesh Doshi, Ishaan’s father, said: “We are always very proud to see him perform. We never imagined that Ishaan would join the choir, but learning music has taught him to calm down and articulate his words better.”
