Don't Cry for Me

There are some experiences in life that nothing can prepare you for. No amount of reading, watching or studying will create a sense of anticipation or understanding of what you are about to encounter.

Back in December 2010, together with 22 other people I climbed a mountain. Some of us were from the UK, some from Africa, and some were disabled; this was the first expedition to the summit of Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, that included a group of disabled climbers. That journey was arduous, challenging and at times even euphoric. I climbed because I wanted to help in some small way. I bore the hardship because I believed I could manage the journey. I shared my joy with others as we reached the summit. The catalyst for me began with a challenge and I of course could not resist. In doing so,  I  made a commitment to help a small charity called AbleChildAfrica whose work with disabled children in Africa rang a bell with me and I wanted to help support those who are often the most vulnerable or excluded in a community. As a child losing my own hearing was devastating but made bearable because of the support and encouragement I had from my parents and school and I wanted to give something back.  I chose Able Child Africa because it has an ‘inclusive’ ethos. Their aim is to enable children to become valued members of their homes and communities. Therefore AbleChildAfrica recognises the support they provide must also include the support and education of the parents to enable them in turn to understand and support the needs of their children. Unlike my family situation, many parents of disabled children in Africa are  led to believe that when their child is born with a disability it is by way of retribution for their wrong doing. They also believe disabled children are unable to contribute to the family wealth  in that they will never work and will therefore become a burden. AbleChildAfrica are continually pushing these boundaries and dispelling myths by replacing them with facts and support.eriences in life that nothing can prepare you for. No amount of reading, watching or studying will create a sense of anticipation or understanding of what you are about to encounter.experiences in life that nothing can prepare you for. No amount of reading, watching or studying will create a sense of anticipation or understanding of what you are about to encounter.

I had discussed the  importance of the work that AbleChildAfrica does with the Director, Jane Anthony. I also had the opportunity to discuss some of the challenges faced by disabled children in Kenya with the Director of the Little Rock Centre, Lilly Oyare and the Executive Director of Action Network for Disabled Youth, Fred Ouko (both AbleChildAfrica local partner organisations in Africa), with whom I had shared my mountain climb.  I listened carefully to all their accounts of the work they are undertaking in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. So, as an AbleChildAfrica Patron I felt well prepared for my eventual visit to Nairobi. I was sure I understood the challenges and indeed I felt confident the trip would not contain any surprises. I could not have been more wrong.

As our taxi bounced over  the rough terrain of Kibera, often described as East Africa’s largest slum , the first signs of an environment where no human or animal should be expected to endure unfolded before us. Out of the dusty window, amongst the hustle and bustle, I could see  malnourished children selling small buckets of coal and makeshift stalls trading everything from dusty furniture to fruit and vegetables as well as pans of meat scraps and fish heads smothered in flies. I began to witness the abject poverty of the Kibera slums and I was shocked.

As the days unfolded I  underwent an emotional roller coaster.  At first,  I was overwhelmed, dismayed, shocked and appalled.  I accompanied Lilly and 3 very young boys with hearing impairments from the Little Rock centre into the depths of the slums. We went in turn to the homes of each child. We walked amongst the shacks,  bending low to avoid cutting ourselves on the sharp edges of the corrugated roofs that hung low enough to gauge out an eye. Stooping, ducking and trying not to slip into the human excrement streams that run through every tiny crevice. The stench was unbearable but we continued; I cannot show that I am not able to endure it because it is where thousands of people live. I cannot judge because their circumstances are complex and complicated. They are truly victims of a society, like so many others, which at times can feel as if it feeds off human misery.

We reached the home of Albert*, he pulls back the slatted wood door to his home, a single dark room tidy room with a mud floor and very little furniture. His mother is not home and he becomes distraught. His teacher tells us he is afraid we will leave him alone and not take him back to the centre but Lilly is there, she holds his hand and assures him in sign language that he she will not leave him alone. We go on, the heat is unbearable and adds to our discomfort.  I am not familiar with the terrain and we stumble often, unsure of my  footing and keeping Lilly in sight we move onward to the home of Daniel . The entrance is via a dark dank muddy alleyway and it takes several minutes for my eyes to become accustomed to the dim light in the room. It is here I am struck by just how much of an impact environment can have on functioning, without sufficient light in this house I have difficulty seeing and therefore reading the lips of the group and encountered difficulties communicating , I struggle to know what to say without patronising. No words seem appropriate.  There is a woman sitting on a slat of wood with a thin mattress, no duvet, no comfortable furniture except one chair which the woman  says she moves at night so the children can sleep on the floor. We hear a noise and in the gloomy darkness, there is another child stirring from a nap. He is startled by our presence and somehow this all feels voyeuristic and uncomfortable. I try to rationalise what I am seeing. It is hard to comprehend how these families survive, much less provide for the needs of their disabled children. Another sibling sits in the dark alleyway outside, It’s Arnold’s little sister, she has huge eyes and she is staring at us. I smile, she smiles back and her face lights the passageway!

We continue to the home of Peter. He is luckier than most because he has both parents at home in their one room, they have recently moved across the slum. Because Peter’s father is working they have electricity and a small black and white TV with a blurred image on a small table which has pride of place. The door is made from planks of wood and is hard to open over the rough mud floor, we ease ourselves inside one at a time into a single room, which is no more than 3.5 metres square. Families, often with several children, eat, sleep and cook in one room. A tribute to survival under the most extreme conditions.

As I begin to walk back to Little Rock  my thoughts reflect on the items  I have not seen. The homes are all void of toys, books, toilets, washing facilities and running water. Most have no electricity. No basic essentials or home comforts. I have no words to describe how I feel at this point. I was later informed that each family must pay 500 Kenyan shillings (about £3 UK or $5 US ) per month for rent. My heart feels so low and pitiful faced with the enormity of the challenges,  at this point I cannot begin to imagine how I can possibly help.

As I emerge from the slums and turn the  corner I look towards the gates of  Little Rock. The new  building, recently constructed by AbleChildAfrica,  is like a mirage in full colour brimming with smiling happy children.  This centre for early years education sits like an oasis in the midst of the slums. A beautiful bright sunny building, its walls decorated with cartoon characters and colourful friezes, surrounded by manicured borders shaded by clusters of bougainvillaea flowers. Here is the result of years of hard work, tenacity, persistence and vision. Almost 800 children benefit from this inclusive centre annually; it is  a  sanctuary of care and understanding in Kibera.

During my visit, I was accompanied by Jane Anthony, Executive Director of AbleChildAfrica and  a trustee, Alanzo Blackstock. Alanzo became a Trustee of AbleChildAfrica as he has a personal connection to their work, his brother Larry resides in Kenya and serves as a Trustee for Little Rock  It was also good to meet up with Shikuku Obosi, also a Trustee of AbleChildAfrica,  whom I met on the Kilimanjaro climb; we share our memories of the trials we endured together.  As I spent more time with the teachers, children and trustees I  gradually  begin to realise this is not a story of despair but one of hope ; with encouragement and funding they have created a tangible positive environment for the future of the children from Kibera. Lilly soon realised she could not educate students when they were hungry so she feeds them. She could not create a comfortable environment for them until they were clean, so she taught them about cleanliness. The Centre takes the children each day from as early as 7am. From the age of 3 months They are provided with a uniform of purple shirts and grey trousers, which they wear with pride. The Centre gives each child 2 meals per day. Most children would otherwise go hungry and the school feeding programme not only keeps the children nourished, it allows them to better concentrate on learning when in school. Each child is given structured tuition on reading, pronunciation and language including signing which means they become bi-lingual and  this gives them a huge advantage I join the children in various classes and noted the school has an ‘inclusive’ policy,  whereby  all children, including those with disabilities, are taught together, working together to support each other to learn. In fact, the extent of the inclusion is such that no child is left out and children automatically support those who need it, whether it be  inside or outside the classroom.

Lilly, or Teacher Lilly as she is affectionately known to the kids, works alongside state primary schools to secure placements for the Little Rock graduates,  and the children who have already been placed have attained top marks amongst their peers- they are a credit to her excellent teaching skills. They excel in their studies and will stand very good chances of going on to complete compulsory education, which is sadly by no means the norm for many children in the area. AbleChildAfrica and Little Rock are joining forces to ensure disabled graduates are afforded the same opportunities in state primary schools.

On my last day in Nairobi, I met with Fred Ouko, Director of ANDY, a youth lead Disabled People’s Organisation.  Together with AbleChildAfrica, ANDY  is currently running a programme that uses sport to engage young disabled people in social groups and healthy lifestyles and also offers them access to employment and training opportunities. Due to poor rates of access to education and training, the unemployment rates of young disabled people in Kenya are high.  I attended a deaf volleyball session and chatted with the team members about some of the challenges they face. I also meet with Benjamin and Eric, who are visually impaired, who participate in the ANDY Swimming club. They  are currently looking forward to internships arranged through the programme to help them get some skills that they hope will lead them into employment and ANDY will be there to support them along the way.

As the work of AbleChildAfrica grows it needs more partners, good education and public awareness and crucially, funding -these things are actually making a difference.

The lesson I learned is if you help them they will help themselves – so please dig deep and support the great work of this charity I am proud to be Patron of.

*children’s names have been changed to protect their identity.

Text DRUM14 followed by £10 to 70070 to donate to AbleChildAfrica and make a difference today.

Or you can donate online; https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/ablechildafrica

If you cannot contribute financially please share this blog with everyone you know, not just for me but for the thousands of children who often do not have their story heard.

http://ablechildafrica.org

www.evelyn.co.uk

A Feast for the Senses

We’re surrounded by sound, art and movement, which feed through every aspect of our world. From media to architecture, advertisement to passing car radios, we’re engulfed in a multitude of sounds and images that either plague or delight our senses. From buskers to classical music, pavement art to fine ‘gallery’ art – the range is broad and getting broader every day.

Although I’m profoundly deaf I also experience the same range of sounds as a person with unimpaired hearing, not to mention the sights, smells and other sensations, too. The difference for me is that I won’t hear in the same way as most people, so my perception of the overall experience will be different. Most of us have preferences for a particular type of music or style of art and the way we perceive those arts is different for each and every one of us.

I, too, have a sense of what I like and dislike. Through my music I’ve tried to break down barriers by pushing boundaries, bringing percussion out of the shadows and pushing my own limits as a sound creator.  I’m passionate about music that allows me to continue pursuing this goal. Along the way I’ve learned to open up my body to a new kind of listening, which has made for some truly exciting performance experiences.

Maria Rud

I was thrilled when the opportunity arose to collaborate with dynamic Russian Artist Maria Rud. Maria, like me, is keen to push her own boundaries through a highly distinctive artistic style and to find unique ways for audiences to experience and engage with her work. I feel an artistic kinship with Maria – being able to work closely with her is an absolute joy.

Maria and I at the NMS

Collaboration can be a challenge, particularly between different sectors of the arts. However, sometimes artists seem naturally to come together when a particular dynamism or unifying force emerges between them. This was definitely the case with Maria and myself. We met in 2011 and the creative juices began to flow straight away. Although we quickly sparked each other’s interests it wasn’t immediately obvious how our union would pan-out. Maria enjoys working with the spiritual responses she ‘feels’ from music and I like to work to the vibration and feeling of sound. This connection soon developed into something we could share through a project called AniMotion – an exciting combination of live painting, live music and now dramatic architecture.

Our first opportunity to perform together came at the National Museum of Scotland surrounded by an incredible array of historical artefacts displayed in the Grand Gallery. We almost became exhibits in our own right! Our AniMotion premiere definitely cemented our relationship! And it wasn’t just Maria and I that found it special. The audience, which included Vladimir Tolstoy, was treated to a spectacle in which music and art united in a way simply not experienced before. On that occasion Maria’s images – painted on a light box – were projected onto a large screen while myself and cellist Philip Sheppard performed. We played to her brushstrokes and she, in turn, painted to our music. The experience was amazing and the audience were completely absorbed and delighted with the performance.

AniMotion at St Giles

AniMotion continues to evolve and grow into new dimensions. Now we are bringing some of the country’s grandest architecture into the mix. Our most recent venture was at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh where the imagery was projected onto the dramatic canvas of the building itself. The cathedral came to life; its stonework danced with each brushstroke and its acoustic sang with musical sounds – literally when it came to the contributions of vocalists Fay Fife and Rebecca Tavener! It was lovely to work again with Dave Heath, whose music I’ve recorded. DJ Dolphin Boy brought an electronic (and electrifying!) edge to the experience, too.

Our audiences have come to expect the unexpected, to be simultaneously astounded and satiated by an unforgettable and holistic feast for the senses. If you haven’t yet seen an AniMotion show you're missing out on one of the finest artistic experiences around today – something I'm immensely proud to be able to say and equally proud to be a part of. I wholly recommend keeping an eye on my tour diary and booking tickets for the next event... there are some exciting projects on the horizon!

Two Happy Collaborators!

What's your 'immediate world'?

I recently gave an interview to Mark Mann for ARTINFO via the telephone using an interlocutor and some of the questions we discussed gave me food for thought which I would like to put to you.....

In respect of my worldwide travel Mark was interested in knowing how I maintain practise and did I have any routines to keep myself grounded - No! Absolutely not I said. And the reason is that I don’t want to become hostage to anything. That’s the first step in breaking down, where you hang on to something. My best strategy is to immediately lock into the time I am in wherever I arrive in the world. I don’t even think about the time at home. - In hindsight I wonder if abstaining from one set of rituals could be indirectly involving me in another and I would be very interested in your thoughts on this?

As for rituals before concerts: My response is a clear 'not at all. Every single place is different, and how you feel is different. It’s part of listening to your body and accepting how you feel. If you feel nervous, accept the fact that you’re nervous. If you feel really raring to go, accept that. Accept the emotion that you’re in at that time. Because you know that as soon as you walk on stage and you feel the presence of the audience, a switch goes on and you do your best. That’s all you can do. If you start loading yourself with this ritual or that ritual, then that would play on your mind more than the piece of music.' I know people who always do yoga exercises prior to a performance or feel the need to abstain from certain foods or drinks or alternatively feel they must have specific sustenance prior to performing - Again I would be interested in getting your perspective on this and what, if any, rituals you follow prior to certain events?

This next question has the potential to require a very broad response - 'A big theme of your work is the immediate world: you respond to what is present to you, your actual environment.'

I giggled at this point and said "Well, I think percussionists do that quite naturally. We can pick up stones or rocks or twigs and so on, and suddenly we have some delight from that, if it makes interesting sounds. I think there’s always a child-like quality in what percussionists do." Again it is a very leading question and I wonder how many of you think about this in the context of your own environment and how you respond within your workplaces, home or social setting?

As percussionists we are often asked to do so many unusual things, and we’re used to that. Even with the piece that we rehearsed in the morning, we are being asked to play with sound effects, and use different ways of getting that emotion through. As percussion players we’re always thinking outside of the box, and always trying to find objects that might be interesting. Just the other day I happened to be in my kitchen and I had this fairly large wooden bowl. I turned it upside and I started tapping on it, and I realised it was like a Kevlar Scotch snare drum. Yet it had a kind of thinner, woodier effect to it. Immediately I decided that it didn’t belong in the kitchen, but it now belonged to the studio. So it remains there now. What items have you found that have other uses and how did you make that discovery?

Here are some extreme examples where my environment definitely had an impact on my performance. Whilst filming Touch the Sound my boundaries were pushed way out of my own personal comfort zone when I was asked to play a snare drum in the Central Station New York - as you can see from the passers by this performance was unusual in many ways and triggered a variety of interesting reactions.

Another environment Fred Frith and I, pictured ,encountered during the filming was a very dirty old and leaky Sugar Factory in Germany and this is what we did with it! We had a great time and hope you enjoy it too.

Read the full ARTINFO article 

Evelyn Glennie

Deeply honoured

Every so often I am deeply moved to receive the most poignant and beautiful comments from friends, colleagues and supporters. The below composed by Rachel is one of those and I am honoured and delighted to share it with you.

EVELYN

Embraced by obscure objects of musical desire you are a minuet, 

arms held high ready to dive into the acoustic pool.

Humming bird hands dart over polished deck boards,

head cocked to one side absorbing vibrations.

Flutters of arpeggios cascade down your rib cage, 

drum rolls reverberate through bones to skull.

Hair follicles are antennae to timbre picking up its message, 

breathing in rhythmic pulses through your pores.

Your whole being is a tuning fork of cleft and bass, a resonating

chamber vibrating to the journey of each sound colour.

Rachel Tennant

WHAT MAKES US HUMAN?

     

For all the immense achievements created by mankind through the ages I cannot help but think that the question of "What Makes Us Human?" eludes us.
It is not a simple "It is this" or "It is that" and although the enormity of the question ties my brain in knots I wonder if the fact that I am actually able to think about the question is  what makes us human?

We are continually exploring the complexities of neurology and the mechanics of the human body and how it continues to amaze as it reconnects itself in surprising ways under adversity. We are realizing that our senses constitute layers upon layers of sub-senses, as I can personally testify.
The temptation to embrace the sheer scale of human behaviour becomes complex simply because there are no set patterns or traits that fit all human beings. This year I have been starkly reminded of the extremes we as human beings are capable of; from the horrific death of fellow drummer Lee Rigby to the heart wrenching situation encountered by the parents and community of April Jones. Therefore, the question of what makes us human seems forever distant as I grapple with its complexities.

Globally I am aware that large groups of people are traumatised due to the atrocities of others. The use of force and oppression appears to be the way conflict is resolved in some territories. Is the resolution of these matters mean we require others to apply judgement and is that the essence of what makes us human? Clearly some individuals and governments see the need to make judgement and act upon it; to take the decision away from others under the banner of democracy or dictatorship and put in place a statement of what they think is right or wrong and then use force to implement those decisions.

Debating is another attribute we use to resolve issues from which meal to order to the G8 whereby major discussions are debated to resolve global problems, including starvation, in countries like Africa where millions continue to lack basic needs and yet vast resources are wasted elsewhere. It is hard to consider how or if what it is to be human when we appear to ‘allow’ these things to happen or to expect others to solve the problems.

I ask myself therefore, if the answer is compassion which is demonstrably a key factor within the charity sectors as they strive to fund and provide for improvement and offer hope as a mechanism to ending all manner of misery. Perhaps prayer is the answer, to look to the omnipresence of a super human being to provide resolution and sanctuary from all suffering. Or maybe it is patience. After all, this is the trait I find myself using most of all from waiting in queues at airports or striving to perfect a piece of music.

As a human being I have feelings therefore is this what makes me human? If it is I am presented with a conundrum because I know other species such as cats and dogs clearly have feelings too. Having empathy and sensitivity towards others are essential traits and can make a huge difference to our perception of others. These traits are most notably evident in organisations such as hospitals, hospices and environments where caring is provided. But there are issues with some organisations, individual care homes and hospitals where there appears to be a lack of these traits with devastating effect.

Curiosity also plays a large part in what defines us as human beings and has catapulted researchers into the development of the human body of an unimaginable scale. Possibly redefining what we envisage a human being to be. The science of modern medicine has overcome major challenges providing cures and prosthetic substitutes enabling hope and recovery. Technological advances also play a large part in what makes us human. From the manipulation of human embryos bringing joy to some and concern to others about the ethics of intervention, to the ability to regenerate cells from living specimens, thus enabling life to continue when part or parts of the body are damaged.

This sense of curiosity is my mainstay. I have found other ways to feel and sense sound using my body as a resonating chamber.  I have achieved my hopes and dreams of becoming a musician due to my innate sense of curiosity. I have learned to hear by lip reading and I have learned to use my body to feel sound as if it were a giant ear.

Therefore are hopes and dreams the essence of what makes us human? Or perhaps the key is strength of character and determination, I certainly needed plenty of those traits  along the way. But I also feel being open minded is important because it leads us to information that allows us to make choices and decisions. It also brings about flexibility and the ability to adapt. When I lost my hearing I chose to adapt and integrate myself into a main stream school. From my perspective the choice was to either be labelled as disabled or enable myself to open up a new career as the world's first full time Solo Percussionist – I have never regretted the ability to make choices!

Clearly the answer is complicated. But as I ponder on another  frequently asked question of me - would I be better musician if I had not lost my hearing? - I have no idea, but I do know life begins and ends with listening. Perhaps the fact that I have opened my body to listening in a different way enables me to be more sensitive. In conclusion I feel compassion, patience, inclusion, individuality and social awareness are all forms of social listening and that is what predominately makes us human. By engaging our bodies as a huge ear I wonder if your view would change on what makes us human.

THE END

Are you coming from the Heart?

Since I began learning and playing percussion and indeed piano and clarinet there has been a fascination about how I can possibly accomplish these things with a severe hearing loss impairment. In the early years it was inconceivable that I would be able to participate, let alone carve a new career as a solo percussionist. Over the years I have spent a lot of time breaking down barriers, shedding concerns and dispelling doubts about my own, and others, ability to enjoy and participate in music.

My quest was beautifully supported by a play written by Charles Way titled Playing from the Heart. A Washington DC film company, Imagination Stage took up the challenge and produced a film of the same name.

The title 'Playing from the Heart' has depth and meaning to me which is often reflected in others around me. I share patronage with many charities and I see people strive to provide the most basic of comforts; clean water, nourishment, and education are the simplest commodities of life that most of us take for granted. I feel passionately about trying to inspire the young and to encourage parents to allow exploration without prejudice. I receive many letters and emails from teachers who find themselves faced with a disabled student and they feel unqualified, to teach them in the traditional manner.You can take it from me 'normal is as normal does', in which I mean from birth we are learning whether or not we are born or become disabled. Our learning capacity may be hampered but what we sometimes need to think about is how to teach someone with a particular impairment. In other words we need to teach the same subjects, but differently.

In my case I had to learn to 'feel' music using all the senses in my body. I was not specifically aware I was doing this however that is what has happened. I see something very similar in the sensory development of the blind where some senses, such as hearing and feeling through the hands, become more sensitive thus enabling the mind to envisage objects or sounds around them.

 'Against all odds' is another term that evokes incredible emotion both negative and positive. Before I met Danny Boyle, the prospect of participating in the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games seemed an impossible dream. I soon realised people like Danny Boyle are amazing visionaries. He had a concept in his head of an opening ceremony like no other. He was able to share that vision with funders, creative teams, major organising bodies, artists and especially volunteers. He 'enabled' us all to believe the impossible could be accomplished. Each segment was discussed and put into practice in isolation. As one of the artists I just had to believe in his directive and do my job. The one thing I knew was I had to do it well - therefore I would say to all of you who are in doubt if you believe it can work even if it means adapting or exploring other ways of doing something then put your heart and soul into it and it will happen.

Image by Rachel Blackwell

Poor me!

At the beginning of the week I accidentally cut my first finger on my right hand on the sharp edge of a tin lid that I had foolishly left in the washing up bowl.

I have been amazed at how such a tiny cut has become so debilitating. So many things we take for granted are suddenly made much more difficult to do. Fastening buttons, typing, holding mallets, opening bottles and even doing up my bra have been extremely hard to accommodate with my bandaged finger. So poor me!

Frustrated by my limitations I found myself considering how it must feel to suffer much worse disabilities. I recently performed a double concerto for percussion and cello written by Olga Hans for Dominik Połoński and myself. Dominik was born in 1977 and for many years he was absolutely the number one young talent in Poland. He achieved almost everything for a Young musician - won several competitions, played concerts, recorded many CD's, received a scholarship at the legendary Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid, where he studied under Natalia Szachowska, and Mścisław Rostropowicz.

In 2004 he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He went through 4 operations and his left hand remains disabled. In 2006 Doctors told him 'this is it', and gave him 3 weeks to live. Dominik started working with therapists using only his mind. After a while the cancer was gone.

In January 2009 he returned to the stage and performed a piece by Olga Hans - first cello concerto for the right hand. 

During our recent performance in Lodz, Poland I was and remain deeply humbled by Dominik's tenacity and determination and performing with him will always be one of my proudest moments.

Here in the UK we are on the run up to Comic Relief and each time I see the work of the charities including Able Child Africa I can only imagine the overwhelming sense of futility for millions of children with disabilities in the poorest parts of the world. How would I feel if I had not had the support of a peripatetic teacher or my family and friends? What would my life have been like if I had been born deaf in Africa where the only hope must come from the kindness of others?

I am always heartened by the generosity of those who pledge millions each year for charities who are supported by Comic Relief and I am hoping to visit some of the projects in Kenya and Uganda to see for myself how our efforts are put to good use and how we are making a difference - so please dig deep in your hearts and pockets and know that every small donation really does help.