Captioned Video: Deaf Man's Passion for the Piano

Here is Ron Tan, who was born with 80 per cent hearing loss, teaching himself to play the piano was a turning point in his life.

"I realised that what I really want is to produce music, and that has to come from my heart."

And having discovered and developed his own passion, Ron is now eager to help other people with disabilities stoke theirs. His talent management outfit for special needs performers, called Inclusive Art Movement (I.AM), is one of the entries in the Singapore International Foundation's Young Social Entrepreneurs programme, which seeks to inspire, equip and enable youths of different nationalities to embark on social enterprises. Interested in taking part or supporting I.AM? Get in touch at ContactUs@ArtsMovement.sg.

Grand Piano Passions

If you have a love for grand piano (mine would be to have an Estonia grand piano someday) and have a hearing loss here's an online magazine called "Grand Piano Passion" created by the founding editor Nancy M. Williams who herself has a (genetic) hearing loss.  She can hear across a wide range of frequencies, from the lowest note in the bass to the highest note in the treble. There's a "Hearing and Music" section that covers piano and hearing loss, and how pianists deal with their hearing loss or their hearing aids.  It's a good site to go to for good reading. Although I'm a ragtime/novelty rag pianist at heart I have practiced and played classical piano growing up until I discovered ragtime as a young teen.

Deaf Pianist Donates $2 Million Dollars

A deaf person who also plays the piano donates $2 milllion dollars to California State University, Fresno.

Retired architect, vineyard owner and piano player Robert Duncan Nicol, who has been deaf since birth, says he is living proof "that deaf people, indeed, can do many things." That includes being a generous benefactor. Nicol on Friday gave $2 million for The Silent Garden program in the Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies department at California State University, Fresno. The donation will help deaf and hearing-impaired children, their parents and teachers, as well as adults with hearing loss.