Full Text - The Sound of Music by Deborah Cowley

Full Text - The Sound of Music by Deborah Cowley

About the Author – Deborah Cowley

Deborah Cowley is a well-known Canadian author, journalist, and broadcaster who has contributed to numerous magazines, newspapers, and radio programs. She is recognized for her ability to tell inspiring stories of real people who have made a significant impact on society. Her writing often reflects human resilience and achievements in the face of adversity. In The Sound of Music, she captures the extraordinary journey of Evelyn Glennie with sensitivity, detail, and admiration, showcasing how inner strength and determination can break even the toughest barriers.

About the Lesson – The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music is a biographical account of Evelyn Glennie, a world-famous percussionist who achieved greatness despite being profoundly deaf. The lesson follows her journey from childhood, when her deafness began to develop, through the challenges she faced in her education and musical training, to her eventual success on the global stage.

The story highlights Evelyn's unshakable determination, innovative learning techniques, and her inspirational achievements. With the help of supportive mentors and her ability to "feel" music through vibrations, Evelyn overcame her disability and redefined how music is experienced.

The lesson teaches students about:

• Perseverance in the face of adversity

• The power of self-belief

• Breaking stereotypes and limitations

• The importance of support and mentorship

It is a tribute to the human spirit and a reminder that physical limitations need not be barriers to success.

THE TEXT

1. RUSH hour crowds jostle for position on the underground train platform. A slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen years, was nervous yet excited as she felt the vibrations of the approaching train. It was her first day at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London and daunting enough for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm. But this aspiring musician faced a bigger challenge than most: she was profoundly deaf.

2. Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual. Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old Evelyn was waiting to play the piano. “They called her name and she didn’t move. I suddenly realised she hadn’t heard,” says Isabel Glennie. For quite a while Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers. But by the time she was eleven her marks had deteriorated and her headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist. It was then discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage. They were advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to a school for the deaf. “Everything suddenly looked black,” says Evelyn.

3. But Evelyn was not going to give up. She was determined to lead a normal life and pursue her interest in music. One day she noticed a girl playing a xylophone and decided that she wanted to play it too. Most of the teachers discouraged her but percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential. He began by tuning two large drums to different notes. “Don’t listen through your ears,” he would say, “try to sense it some other way.” Says Evelyn, “Suddenly I realised I could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down.” Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body. “I had learnt to open my mind and body to sounds and vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work.

4. She never looked back from that point onwards. She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life. She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy. She gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances. At the end of her three-year course, she had captured most of the top awards.

5. And for all this, Evelyn won’t accept any hint of heroic achievement. “If you work hard and know where you are going, you’ll get there.” And she got right to the top, the world’s most sought-after multipercussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments, and hectic international schedule.

6. It is intriguing to watch Evelyn function so effortlessly without hearing. In our two-hour discussion she never missed a word. “Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she laughed. “It is not just watching the lips, it’s the whole face, especially the eyes.” She speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt. “My speech is clear because I could hear till I was eleven,” she says. But that doesn’t explain how she managed to learn French and master basic Japanese.

7. As for music, she explains, “It pours in through every part of my body. It tingles in the skin, my cheekbones and even in my hair.” When she plays the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips. By leaning against the drums, she can feel the resonances flowing into her body. On a wooden platform she removes her shoes so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

8. Not surprisingly, Evelyn delights her audiences. In 1991 she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year Award. Says master percussionist James Blades, “God may have taken her hearing but he has given her back something extraordinary. What we hear, she feels — far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music so beautifully.”

9. Evelyn confesses that she is something of a workaholic. “I’ve just got to work ... often harder than classical musicians. But the rewards are enormous.” Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians. Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says, “She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there is nowhere that they cannot go.”

10. Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished more than most people twice her age. She has brought percussion to the front of the orchestra, and demonstrated that it can be very moving. She has given inspiration to those who are handicapped, people who look to her and say, ‘If she can do it, I can’. And, not the least, she has given enormous pleasure to millions.

100 difficult words from the lesson The Sound of Music by Deborah Cowley, along with their meanings in English and Hindi:

Word	Meaning (English)	Meaning (Hindi)
Rush hour	Peak traffic time	अत्यधिक भीड़भाड़ का समय
Jostle	To push or shove roughly	धक्का-मुक्की करना
Prestigious	Highly respected	प्रतिष्ठित
Daunting	Intimidating or difficult	डरावना, कठिन
Profoundly	Deeply or extremely	अत्यंत
Gradual	Occurring slowly	क्रमिक
Conceal	To hide	छिपाना
Deteriorated	Became worse	बिगड़ जाना
Headmistress	Female school principal	प्रधानाध्यापिका
Specialist	Expert	विशेषज्ञ
Impaired	Weakened or damaged	कमजोर, हानि पहुंचाया हुआ
Nerve damage	Harm to the nervous system	तंत्रिका क्षति
Hearing aids	Devices to help hear	श्रवण यंत्र
Black	Hopeless or depressing	निराशाजनक
Determined	Strong-willed	दृढ़संकल्पी
Pursue	To follow or chase	पीछा करना, साधना
Percussionist	One who plays percussion instruments	तालवाद्य वादक
Potential	Ability to develop	संभावनाशीलता
Tuning	Adjusting musical pitch	सुर मिलाना
Sense	To feel or perceive	अनुभव करना
Vibrations	Movements back and forth	कंपन
Exercise	A practice activity	अभ्यास
Sheer	Complete or absolute	पूर्ण
Determination	Firmness of purpose	दृढ़ निश्चय
Auditioned	Tried out for a role	प्रदर्शन देना
Orchestral	Related to an orchestra	ऑर्केस्ट्रा से संबंधित
Solo	Performed alone	एकल
Captured	Won or gained	प्राप्त किया
Flawlessly	Without any mistake	बिना गलती के
Lilt	A rhythmic accent	स्वर की लय
Mastery	Great skill or knowledge	महारत
Effortlessly	Without difficulty	सहजता से
Resonances	Echoes of sound	प्रतिध्वनि
Tingling	Slight stinging or vibrating feeling	झनझनाहट
Cheekbones	Bones below the eyes	गाल की हड्डियाँ
Platform	Flat raised surface	मंच
Bare feet	Feet without footwear	नंगे पाँव
Delights	Pleases greatly	बहुत प्रसन्न करता है
Prestigious	Respected and admired	प्रतिष्ठित
Extraordinary	Remarkable	असाधारण
Expresses	Conveys feelings	अभिव्यक्त करता है
Workaholic	Addicted to work	काम का दीवाना
Classical	Traditional style	शास्त्रीय
Enormous	Very large	विशाल
Priority	High importance	प्राथमिकता
Inspiration	Source of motivation	प्रेरणा
Handicapped	Physically challenged	विकलांग
Accomplished	Achieved successfully	सिद्ध
Percussion	Musical instruments struck by hand/stick	तालवाद्य
Demonstrated	Showed clearly	प्रदर्शित किया
Moving	Emotionally touching	भावनात्मक
Achievement	Something accomplished	उपलब्धि
Concealing	Hiding something	छिपाना
Diagnosed	Identified an illness	निदान किया गया
Scheduled	Planned events	निर्धारित कार्यक्रम
Society	Organized community	समाज
Hospital	Healthcare center	अस्पताल
Encouragement	Giving hope/support	प्रोत्साहन
Discouraged	Opposed or disapproved	हतोत्साहित
Remarkable	Worth noticing	उल्लेखनीय
Interpretation	Explanation or performance	व्याख्या
Stimulus	Something causing reaction	उत्तेजक तत्व
International	Between nations	अंतरराष्ट्रीय
Motivational	Encouraging to act	प्रेरणादायक
Rehabilitation	Recovery process	पुनर्वास
Empathy	Understanding others' feelings	सहानुभूति
Overcome	Defeat or succeed over	पार पाना
Mentorship	Guidance by a mentor	मार्गदर्शन
Technique	Method or skill	तकनीक
Precision	Exactness	सटीकता
Facial expressions	Movements of face showing emotion	चेहरे के भाव
Performance	Musical or artistic display	प्रदर्शन
Recognition	Acknowledgement	मान्यता
Encouraging	Giving hope or support	प्रोत्साहित करना
Emotional	Relating to feelings	भावनात्मक
Contribution	Something given or added	योगदान
Enthusiasm	Eagerness	उत्साह
Admiration	Respect and warm approval	प्रशंसा
Inclusion	Involvement of all	समावेशन
Acceptance	Approval	स्वीकृति
Passion	Intense interest	जुनून
Supportive	Helpful	सहायक
Talent	Natural ability	प्रतिभा
Foundation	Basis or starting point	आधार
Breakthrough	Important discovery or progress	बड़ी सफलता
Barrier	Obstacle	बाधा
Challenge	Difficult task	चुनौती
Triumph	Great victory	विजय
Unique	One of a kind	अद्वितीय
Defy	Resist or challenge	विरोध करना
Inspire	To fill with urge or ability	प्रेरित करना
Vibrant	Full of energy	जीवंत
Dedication	Devotion to a task	समर्पण
Potential	Capacity to develop	क्षमता
Impact	Strong effect	प्रभाव
Immense	Huge	अपार
Sensitivity	Awareness to feelings/sounds	संवेदनशीलता
Perseverance	Steady effort	लगातार प्रयास

Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words each):

Q-1. Where was the slight girl seen? How old was she and why was she ‘nervous yet excited’?
Ans -The slight girl was seen at a music audition hall. She was around eight or nine years old. She was ‘nervous yet excited’ because it was her first big performance, and she wanted to do well but was afraid of making mistakes.

Q-2. What challenges did ‘this aspiring musician’ face? Was her challenge bigger or smaller than most?
Ans -The aspiring musician faced the challenge of a serious health condition that affected her physical abilities. Her challenge was bigger than most because she had to work much harder to achieve her dream of becoming a musician despite her limitations.

Q-3. When was it first noticed that there was something wrong with the girl? Who discovered it?
Ans -It was first noticed during her early childhood that something was wrong with the girl’s health. Her parents and doctors discovered it when she showed signs of physical weakness and imbalance during her daily activities.

Q-4. ‘For quite a while...’ says Isabel. What did she manage to conceal for quite a while?
Ans -Isabel managed to conceal her physical weakness and health condition for quite a while. She did not let others know how much she was struggling and tried to appear normal and capable like other children.

Q-5. What was discovered when Evelyn was eleven?

Ans -It was discovered that Evelyn was deaf when she was eleven years old. Her hearing ability had been gradually declining, and a hearing specialist confirmed that she had lost most of her hearing.

Q-6. When did Evelyn decide 'she wanted to play it'? What did she want to play?
Ans -Evelyn decided she wanted to play the xylophone when she saw a girl playing it. She was determined to learn it despite her hearing loss.

Q-7. What was Ron Forbes’ advice to her?
Ans -Ron Forbes advised Evelyn to sense music through other parts of her body rather than her ears. He helped her feel the vibrations of music through her skin, hands, and legs.

Q-8. What did Evelyn audition for, and what was its result?
Ans -Evelyn auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music in London. She passed the audition with the highest marks and became the top student.

Q-9. Which two additional languages did she manage to learn?
Ans -Evelyn managed to learn French and Japanese in addition to English.

Q-10. What happens when she removes her shoes on a wooden platform?
Ans -When Evelyn removes her shoes on a wooden platform, she feels the vibrations of music through her feet, which helps her sense rhythm and tune.

Q-11. What award was Evelyn presented in 1991?
Ans -In 1991, Evelyn was presented with the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Soloist of the Year Award.

Q-12. Who has Evelyn given inspiration to? What do people say who look to her?
Ans -Evelyn has given inspiration to disabled people and to all who face challenges in life. People say she is an example of determination and hard work.

(C) Long Answer Type Questions (60 words each):

Q-1. When do we come to know about the girl for the first time? Describe her, and say where and for what she was going.
Ans -We come to know about Evelyn Glennie when she is going to the Royal Academy of Music. She is a young, determined girl who is profoundly deaf. She is full of confidence and excitement as she boards the train to London. She is going there to pursue her dream of becoming a professional musician.

Q-2. Who spotted her (Evelyn’s) potential? What did he do to help her?
Ans -Percussionist Ron Forbes spotted Evelyn’s potential. He noticed her talent and encouraged her to sense music through vibrations. He helped her to feel music with her body and trained her to develop this skill. His support and guidance helped Evelyn build her career in music despite her hearing disability.

Q-3. Describe Evelyn’s achievements as a percussionist.
Ans -Evelyn is a world-famous percussionist who has performed in many countries. She is the first deaf musician to be accepted by the Royal Academy of Music. She plays over a thousand instruments and is known for her extraordinary performances. Evelyn has received several awards and has inspired many with her dedication and talent.

Q-4. How does Evelyn hear music?
Ans -Evelyn hears music through vibrations. She removes her shoes and feels the sound through her feet, skin, and other parts of her body. She has trained herself to sense music’s rhythm and pitch by feeling its vibrations, which allows her to perform with great accuracy and expression.