Bringing the Joy of Music to the Hard of Hearing
Musician and inventor Myles de Bastion has been deaf since he was four years old, and he has a lot to teach the world.
The president of CymaSpace, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit technology company that works to bring art and culture to the deaf community via innovative practices, de Bastion is both a creative individual and one seemingly in constant professorial mode. While society often refers to those without traditional hearing as “hearing-impaired,” de Bastion says many in the community actually prefer “hard of hearing,” noting that all people, even those with normal hearing capabilities, are on a spectrum.
Further, through his work, de Bastion says he’s learned to consider himself not afflicted with “hearing loss.” Rather, he says, he has “deaf gain,” which has made him more resourceful in his life. Evidence of this ingenuity lies in the fact that de Bastion has helped to design several unique technologies that actually show sound to those who cannot hear it — in essence, creating a form of visual music.
An Inventor Begins His Journey
de Bastion’s education and creative spark began when he was a child, playing the piano on his grandfather’s lap.
“It was one of my earliest memories,” he says. “I would marvel at the repeating pattern of the black and white keys. When I would copy his movements and strike a key, I wasn’t so much aware of there being a sound, but rather that the keys on the left made more of a vibration under my fingers than those on the right. That sensation was what drew me in.”
As a teenager, de Bastion says he became “obsessed” with music. He started to learn the electric guitar, which, he’d noticed, has a great deal of malleability when it comes to amplification and sound manipulation. He joined a band but found the experience frustrating, not knowing what the lyrics were and never totally knowing if he was playing the right part. “I wished for a system that could show me visually what was happening in the sound waves as I played,” he recalls.
Necessity being the mother of invention, de Bastion started inventing. With the goal of not just displaying the intensity of sound but also the notes being played and the ways different instruments weaved together, he drew up a design for a box he could sit on that would vibrate and light LEDs, with different colors representing different tonal regions.
To turn the idea into reality, he enlisted the help of an electronics-savvy friend and in 2011, the first prototype of the “DUSIC (Deaf Music) Cube” was unveiled. It was later displayed at the Portland Art Museum.
Doubling Down
After the success of his first prototype, de Bastion, who’s also helped to create the first ever deaf arts festival in Portland, was encouraged to continue and expand his work. He began to study more about LEDs and piezo-electronics, later progressing to software coding and even more sophisticated endeavors. Yet de Bastion never saw his innovations as a cash cow. Instead, he gave them away.
“I leaned heavily on open-source hardware and software and free information on the internet,” he says. “As such, I never pursued patenting or claiming ownership over my ideas.”
Today, de Bastion has created several different manifestations of his visual sound system that use varying technologies. These machines are all bound by a scientific approach to interpreting sound as light. For example, the audible sound spectrum mirrors the visible light spectrum so that the lower frequency tones appear as warm, red colors and the higher frequency ones are shown as cooler, blue colors, with the intensity of the sound usually reflected in the brightness of the LEDs.
“This works well for complex multi-spectrum sound sources such as orchestral music or a rock band,” de Bastion says. “Deaf people are very visual, and so it makes sense to tell a story through light, color and movement, especially when it is in sync with sound and vibration.”
To visualize individual instruments with smaller, more restricted ranges of sound, de Bastion relies on repetition of color patterns. For example, when displaying a chromatic scale, the same colors will repeat with each octave. “It is important that the visualization [be] consistently repeatable for it to be functionally useful,” he explains.
Making It Manageable
For de Bastion, who started playing electric guitar at 14 and would practice for six to eight hours per day back then, music is a world in which he wants to live … and he wants others to be able to do so as well. He credits his childhood with teaching him how to stay driven and focused. “When you’re hard of hearing as a young person, you learn how to pay very close attention to other signifiers,” he says. “Persistence is key.”
He also finds it helpful to break up big problems into smaller challenges. “When an event or piece of information is not accessible to me,” he says, “it motivates me to find ways to break down the barriers so that I can have full access. I’ve learned that when I share my experience openly with others, people are more understanding and willing to find ways to communicate or work with me.”
In the end, he views all of this effort as being about connection, art and innovation. Those are the key factors that serve as the impetus behind his personal driving force.
Adapting to Present Realities … and a Vision for the Future
With many venues shut down due to the events of the past year and a half, de Bastion has turned his focus to virtual reality, working to create spaces where people can share in his inventions.
“Trying to perform or engage with an audience through Zoom is very limiting,” he says, “especially since sign language relies on 3D spatial awareness and video compression makes things blurry and seemingly more bland. I have been able to adapt my visual sound concepts into the 3D space. Virtual reality is a good way of doing this because we can immerse ourselves in a rich 360-degree environment that responds to our presence.”
de Bastion can even imagine a value to his work beyond the bounds of this planet. “Music is universal,” he says, “because everything is vibration. If there are other beings out there, I have no doubt they have appreciation for music.”
All photographs courtesy of Myles de Bastion.
For more information, visit myles.debastion.com.
Joining a 22-year leader — Kevin Bennett — at the helm, Bock did not want to rock the boat. “Any time you go into a program as a second director, you don’t get a clean slate to just change it to whatever you want,” Bock says. “Kevin definitely established an amazing culture. But you always want to make the program feel a little bit more like your own. … It was really important for me to identify what my vision was — what do I bring to the table in this already established, successful program?”
“It was at the top of every single paper, but when I asked any student what the motto was, not a single [one] could have told me four years ago,” Bock says. “Now if you ask, they all can tell you what the motto is, and the students bring that to everything we do,” including during rehearsals, at performances or just walking onto the field.
Then, Bock created a leadership training program using developed techniques from authors and well-known music education advocates, 
With 250 students in a band program comprising four concert bands, four jazz bands, two woodwind choirs, a marching band (with about half of the students), two winter guards and a concert percussion ensemble, Bock believes that there are hands-on roles for at least 100 students.
When students resist change, Bock is comfortable with letting them stick to the status quo. For example, Bock had considered assigning low brass instruments to students for greater efficiency, not realizing that they felt a special tradition with picking out their own, almost like a “Harry Potter” wand-selection moment, she says.
Bock took over as head marching band director in 2020, and for the future, she hopes to build on the excitement of the Hawaii trip to get more students and parents involved in the program, perhaps by hosting a competition.
Traditional RPG systems have three fundamental components: describe, decide and roll. To begin, the description is given by the 
Using an RPG to deliver my violin content and curriculum through a world of wizards and mystery was just the escape that my students and I needed. As RPGs are built from the perspective of the GM, it’s easy to manage a classroom while delivering the story and teaching the lesson. Because the RPG community is so welcoming, I found an incredible wealth of resources that helped a GM novice like me build a world my students connect with and allow me to deliver my curriculum effectively. It is easy to do, and the results are among the most rewarding I’ve experienced in my teaching career.
I named the world Vitula, which is the medieval Latin name for the group of instruments that ultimately became the violin family. In building the framework for Vitula, I needed a fantasy realm that allowed me to be spontaneous, creative and flexible. I love manipulatives and designing sets for theater, so I constructed a world that required diorama components to describe it. By incorporating digital elements, I connected the experience of the classroom with our online students to illustrate that they are integral in our community.
The first two years (known as “books”) of the story are completed. Book 1, entitled “Which Side Are You On?,” introduces the conflicts, factions and varying perspectives of individuals within Vitula. Students interact with fictionalized versions of musical figures and locations, including Val di Fieme, Ole Bull, Il Canone and the wizard Orlandini (named after an Italian luthier).
credibly populate my world. I did not pick specific characters that already existed because I wanted the freedom to develop my own.
When all of this is achieved, the true power of the RPG is unleashed. By using an RPG in the classroom, I share about our real world and teach music in a way that builds wonder, respect and joy as well as increases skill level. It feels great to finally hear a beginning violinist plead, “Mr. Gamon, will you please teach me to play a scale?”
Switching flutes to French horns, on the other hand, works quite well. Here’s why:
Before you have flute students play horn in band, allow them to take a loaner home and try it out for a week or two. This will prevent them from feeling lost in the middle of a rehearsal. When the time comes, be direct with your class and mention the switch during announcements. This will keep classroom management in check and prevent any whisperings of “Why is Susan on the horn now?!”
Villanueva, who graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in music education and jazz studies from 
Villanueva teaches all 600 students at Orange Grove. Each grade is divided into several classes that meet for 30 minutes per week for TK and 1st grade, 45 minutes for 2nd through 4th grades, and 90 minutes for 5th and 6th grades. During the 2020-2021 academic year when the entire school was virtual until April, he met with 6th graders twice per week.
Villanueva specifically wanted melodicas, a combination wind instrument and keyboard, for younger grades. “I got the idea of incorporating melodicas after seeing some videos of children in Japan,” he says. “Plus, it’s louder than electronic keyboards, so for performance purposes, it’s great to project. It’s also a good segue into 5th grade and 6th grade when students have to learn to use their air. Not only are they developing keyboard skills, but they’re also learning breathing skills.”
In past years, Orange Grove students participated in the 
Villanueva brings more and more new ideas to his classes because he is constantly learning through his recent master’s program as well as during freelance gigs, professional development classes such as Little Kids Rock educational events, and side work with the 
To help with YCCT’s launch, we selected an eclectic board of directors with a passion for children’s singing. Current board members include local public-school music teachers, Baylor music education faculty members, parents, choral musicians and community advocates. We also employ a business manager (CPA) and have an attorney who volunteers advice when called upon.
Interns act as small group facilitators for practice pods. Older choristers are spaced strategically among younger singers to ensure all have helpers nearby to aid with tasks like finding their place on the printed page, marking scores and, most importantly, providing a vocal support and encouragement. We are aware of when and how we employ the use of the “surrogate” teacher.
One thing we have discovered is that if the older singers are always asked to serve as models for their younger peers, their own needs are not served. Therefore, we ask the collegiate interns to model for the older chorus and, in turn, the staff models vocal and teaching techniques for the interns. Each rehearsal begins and ends with a brief staff meeting and debriefing that especially focuses on interns’ needs and questions.
Upgrade the Sound System
Once your phone or tablet is connected to a sound system via Bluetooth, you can utilize your phone’s voice memo taker as a recording and playback station for your classroom. Record a difficult passage with your phone and play the recording back while speaking directly to the students who need your help. Moving the phone around the room will allow you to capture the moments that the students may not be hearing. For instance, recording close to the students who are out of tune might help you segue into the importance of listening and tuning without calling out specific students. Let the recording be the bad guy.
Apart from technology, seating and staging have a large impact on how students act in the music room. Though traditional seating is important for posture and performance, is there space in your room for a non-traditional seating area?
Elementary music classrooms utilize yoga balls, buckets and even 
Depending on your school setting and policies, the simplest solution is to open a window or door if you possibly can — even for short periods during cold-weather months. (Be sure the window is screened and or secured in a way that it will not create a fall risk for students.)
Beyond simple fresh air, consider what else students might be inhaling and strive for a cleaner indoor space.
One week, I taught 10 classes the same singing game called “
What helped me become more confident was understanding the science about voice and sound. I never enjoyed hearing my singing or speaking voice, and I learned that there was a reason for this. It’s called voice confrontation.
I bought a tripod for my cell phone and a green blanket so I could record instruments and remove the background on the computer. That was all I needed to make a majority of my instrument lesson videos.
Seeing the views go up on a new or even an old lesson gives me a sense of gratification that I can’t get anywhere else. I really enjoy the recent vlogging because teachers need to know that they are not the only professionals experiencing this era of COVID music education. I received a comment that said, “I needed to hear this,” which was all I needed to know that it was time well spent.
Our initial step was to have students learn a short etude that was well within their ability level for a pass-off due on a certain date. We told the students that they collectively had to decide benchmark dates prior to the due date and how much of the etude needed to be learned and performed by those benchmarks. This is where we left it as we wanted the ownership of their backward planning to be solely on them.
Students at the higher level had not necessarily been taught how to practice, but they were achieving at an adequate level solely because of the overall time they spent on their instrument. Students were mindlessly practicing by repping a piece over and over again until they, by pure repetition, memorized the music — oftentimes with errors and limited musicality.
Direct parents into your new classroom: Parents tend to bypass “Specials” classrooms like music during after-school events. At my first open house, I greeted a few parents toward the beginning, then nobody came to my classroom for the next three hours. Yikes! If you’re new, do a bit of advertising. Make a poster with your name and subject on it and add a few bells and whistles like ribbons and bright colors. Maybe even play a little bit of soft music to make your room more welcoming. You’re going to want to meet your students’ families long before the musical or (even worse) the end of the grading period.
4. Build Rapport with Students
When Cox noticed a high staff turnover, poor retention and low skill levels in the middle school band program from her five feeder schools, Cox recruited her students involved with the 
In addition, with her background teaching general elementary music prior to becoming director at Lake Worth, Cox regularly goes to the elementary schools. Because the closest elementary school is within walking distance, Cox brings her high school musicians to perform there several times a year. The drumline plays on the first day of school as buses arrive; a pep band performs during the elementary school’s Halloween parade; and band students also host a standardized testing pep rally.
After a few years at Lake Worth, Cox had noticed that students were joining high school band as freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and then quitting. “It was a cultural norm for kids to go to work and support the family,” Cox says. “It’s been a challenge to teach the kids that band is a four-year thing.”
You’ll have a much easier time reading your SARC if you understand the terms used. Some words and phrases are self-explanatory, but others can be confusing. Most SARCs have a reference guide or glossary. The 
It was impossible to do the necessary legwork during the school year, so my husband, Kris Antonetti, and I worked in the buildings during the summer when the air conditioning was not turned on. At the time, we only had desktop computers — no laptops or tablets — so we started in the hot storage room, writing down instrument model numbers and serial numbers on a yellow legal pad. Then we went back to my office to input this information on my computer. We spent hours doing this.
We started with the problems I faced and then gathered ideas from other directors to see what was needed most. Many of our music education friends faced similar challenges in their classrooms. We wanted to focus on the inventory aspect of organization, so we started developing instrument and uniform management as well as the ability to check these items out to students and to organize students into ensembles.
We met with Dave Gnojek, the associate design director at 
Fix It: Mallet Placement and Equal Right-to-Left-Hand Involvement
Populations in rural communities tend to be stable. Many of your colleagues and your students have years of community and institutional knowledge. Many students have had the same educator group since kindergarten. They will be curious about you, and the more comfortable you are answering their questions, the more successful you will be. I start every year at 
The Happiness Mix Project
Once students can tell a sad song from a scary song from a happy song, he says, “I would say, let’s recognize we can use songs to feel better when we feel sad, and start asking the ‘why’ questions.”
Looking at an explosion of population on the northside of San Antonio, the NEISD 2005 bond aimed to relieve stress on Reagan, which had a capacity of 3,000 students, but enrollment was approaching 4,000. The initial plans for Johnson provided for a capacity of 3,000 students, but during construction, administrators approved an additional wing that expanded capacity to 3,200. The new campus included a 4,000-square-foot music rehearsal hall.
The CBAC identified Reagan, Johnson and 
Thankfully, our district had recently made the music librarian the de facto music coordinator for the district, so I went to him and asked for his help and support. Additionally, I came up with several plans of my own. I was not allowed to charge band participation fees, but I could charge instrument rental fees. We have some instruments in the district rental pool, and some instruments at the schools. For the school instruments, I could charge the same rental fees as the district, and I used that money to fund a repair and supply budget. This went into effect almost immediately.
To recruit students for the beginning band at Meadows Elementary, I made sure to talk to all 5th graders on the third day of school along with the elementary strings teacher. She played her instruments, and I played several winds instruments including clarinet, trombone and trumpet. We answered questions and handed out interest forms, which also helped with instrumentation as we could assign students to their first or second instrument choices.
With each year of experience, I have gained more confidence as a music educator and have found better ways to be effective, efficient, and to challenge and support my students in the classroom. I have brought in guests from universities and local businesses to talk to my students and broaden their understanding of music. I have commissioned new works for my band as part of a consortium. I have taken my groups to festivals, tours and on trips to enrich their band experience. I just want to continue to challenge my students and let them experience life through the power of music.
In past years, Zeilinger has even taught hand bell and steel drums when students express the desire. “When I see the interest, I’m going to go down that path because I want my students’ high school experiences to be memorable. … My program is really focused on developing the desire among students to pursue something they’re passionate about.”
Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, students will have the option to participate in the academy and benefit from a field trip to the 
Often, teachers are intrinsically driven to make the favored ensemble from their past the highest quality possible because they have such a clear picture of what they want, they know what success looks like, and they have a strong connection to that particular ensemble.
In the fall of 2019, after two years of learning, consulting and writing grants, we had a recording studio in our school! I remember feeling confident that I knew what I didn’t know on the first day of my Digital Audio Production class. Little did I know that I was peering into a doorway of doorways!
For instance, our marching band went from a three-set to a 60-set show and started participating in the 
An LEA might also address the needs of students arising from the COVID-19 pandemic by using ESSER and GEER funds to implement or expand arts programs, 
Developing and implementing procedures and systems to improve the preparedness and response efforts of LEAs.
Schaffer and the art teacher now start the recruiting process by visiting 5th grade classes together. “[The art teacher] takes a couple examples of artwork, and I do a quick breakdown on [the process of band].”
In his first couple of years at his previous position at 
As they return to “normal,” students may be dealing with grief over lost loved ones and worries about feeling safe. On top of that, they have the evergreen stressors, such as going through puberty, concerns over their appearance or being bullied. Parents are likely feeling anxious, too, with their own worries about employment, physical safety and learning losses for their children.
Road Trip!
After the initial draft was completed, it was clear that one week was not going to be enough time, so I expanded the summer program to two weeks. To help with the next phase of planning, I hired Temple’s music studies coordinator 
July 2018: After about a year and a half of planning, we arrived at our first program in July 2018. We had 18 students in attendance. About half were from out of town and lived in the Temple dorms, and the rest of the students commuted to and from campus each day. Within the first day, our students formed a strong bond, and the mutual support that they provided one another was beautiful to witness.
We had no idea how many applications we would get, so we changed our financial model to pay our instructors a variable rate per student rather than provide them with a base stipend. This made it simple for us to scale the program as needed. By the time July rolled around, we were surprised and thrilled to welcome 50 students (a three-fold increase from previous years) tuning in from all across the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia.
Our 2021 program, which will take place virtually in July, will feature returning instructors 
The school year began with band camp, and I hit the ground running by getting to know the students and community members. At the conclusion of the fall semester, the boosters had raised their concession stand money for the year, but we still needed more money. Going around our small town, I met many people who wanted to support the band. I spoke with my administration about launching a fundraising capital campaign to donate for new uniforms. I decided to send 
The first year of the grant offered $16,000, 20% of which had to go to professional development. With these funds, I planned to repair all school instruments, so they could be used, and purchase some new instruments to start a supply to offer students. With grand funds in the subsequent years, I would add to the collection of instruments.
Next school year, the marching band will be back up and running at full capacity with a new show called “Royals of Rock.” We will chronicle a performer’s journey to become a rock legend by learning from the masters like 
