Toward 'Little Victories' in Music Education: Troubling ableism through signed-singing and d/Deaf musicking

This chapter is about d/Deaf music making and the problematics of singing in sign language. The discussion troubles inclusion in music education by drawing connections between deaf music-making and constructions of who is considered dis/abled in the context of music performance. Employing Deaf studies, disability theorizing, as well as the sociological work of Christopher Small and Lucy Green, this digital ethnography examines two examples of deaf music making in contemporary culture with a focus on signed-singing. Through an analysis of two victory-inspired songs, that includes accompanying video exemplars, the chapter questions what music education might learn from listening to d/Deaf musicking. The chapter links to videos that discuss interpretations of Forbes’ signed-singing.


Short abstract (100 words)
The chapter by authors Warren Churchill and Clare Hall, American and Australian music educators respectively, brings deaf studies in from the margins of music education research. These authors make visible and audible the power of deaf musicking as a means of artistic and political agency.