Letter 42 - How Did A Deaf Woman Accomplish This??

Hello Bregdan Woman,

You have Ginny today…

Learning about this Bregdan Woman increased my determination to refuse to allow challenges to define my life and my accomplishments. Evelyn reminded me that it’s possible to succeed with your ambitions, despite apparently almost insurmountable obstacles.

This Bregdan Woman started out as a Bregdan Girl - but don’t we all??

Home was a farm in north-east Scotland. She enjoyed the bucolic beauty with her parents and two older brothers, but her interests were vastly different than cattle and farming.

She was a girl who was in love with music.

At just ten years old, she was playing the piano and clarinet, and singing with perfect pitch. Her talent had her performing in retirement homes.

Surely, music was meant to be her life!

Until… she began to lose her hearing.

By the time she was twelve years old, she had become profoundly deaf. She was quite adept at lip reading, but if a winter storm took out the lights, she was left in a world of silence.

She had lost her hearing, but she certainly hadn’t lost her love of music.

Imagine becoming profoundly deaf even though you haven’t lost your passion for music. What would that feel like?

This is exactly what happened to Evelyn Glennie. To say her life changed profoundly when she became profoundly deaf would be putting it mildly.

But… it didn’t stop her.

She simply had to learn a different way to “hear” the music. She was lucky enough to have had a music teacher at Ellon Academy who understood her passion for music and was willing to help her.

She had to learn new ways to hear and feel instruments.

Evelyn spent endless hours standing, with her hands on the wall, as her music teacher played notes on the kettledrum.

Thump… thump… thump…

Concentrating intensely on the vibrations she was feeling, Evelyn learned what note he was playing by where she felt the vibration on her body.

I can only imagine the deep frustration as she struggled to retrain her mind and body. Finally…

It happened!

Evelyn could “feel” the music, just like she had heard it before. It felt good to be part of music again.

Her dreams roared back to life.

Music, as Evelyn points out, is just vibration, whether it’s vibrating against your ear drum or another part of your body. The low sounds she feels mainly in her legs and feet. The high sounds might be particular places on her face, neck, and chest. She says that her feet, legs, and tummy are her best ears.

That’s why she usually plays barefoot.

Not everyone was encouraging.

One teacher tried to destroy her entire career. He didn’t understand the force of her passion when he told her she could never pursue a career in music – how could she perform music when she couldn’t even hear?

That was the day the Bregdan Girl became a Bregdan Woman.

Evelyn says that was one of the best things that ever happened to her, because she became even more determined to make her dream happen.

She refused to allow any challenge to stand in her way.

Evelyn didn’t want to be just a percussionist with a large orchestra -- she wanted to be the featured artist – out in front and accompanied by the rest of the orchestra!

She’s done just that! After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music with honors, her career took flight. Helped by the press’s love of the sentimental and emotional story of the plucky deaf teenager, Evelyn became a musical phenomenon.

She has produced six albums, performed concert tours in Asia, Europe and the U.S., and even became a TV talk show celebrity.

She was proclaimed Scot of the Year in 1982. She has won many awards and been presented with twenty-nine honorary doctorates and fellowships.

In 2020, she collaborated to compose a new piece, “The Grace of Silence” for their Coronavirus Fund for Freelance Musicians. She is a prolific composer.

Amazing accomplishments for anyone, but especially for someone who is profoundly deaf!

Here’s the thing, though. Her deafness is the least important part of her music as far as Evelyn is concerned.

It’s not even mentioned in any of the information supplied by her office to the press or concert promoters. She feels she has succeeded only if her audience leaves the concert hall feeling entertained. If they’re just wondering how a deaf musician can play percussion, then she believes she has failed as a musician.

Learning about this Bregdan Woman was fascinating because I also learned a lot about the different levels of deafness. Profound deafness isn’t the same as total deafness, though it’s different for everyone. Evelyn hears through a combination of sounds, vibration, and sight.

She is quite clear that her profound deafness bothers other people far more than it bothers her. Other than some inconveniences, it doesn’t affect her life that much. When she’s interviewed, she isn’t particularly interested in talking about her deafness – she just wants to talk about her music. 😊 And, with good reason…

Evelyn may very possibly be the best percussionist in the world – she’s definitely the first who has ever achieved a successful full-time career as a solo percussionist. She can play any kind of music – from classical to rock – and she is extremely innovative.

When you watch and listen to Evelyn play, you have to leave all your preconceived ideas about deafness at the door. She doesn’t play music – Evelyn feels and becomes the music. And her expressiveness pulls you right into the experience as well. About her music she says, “That’s me – that’s my voice.”

Evelyn’s career has spanned close to 40 years (so far!).

She has a grueling international touring schedule and often plays as many as 60 instruments during a single live performance.

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to wrap my brain around that one. 60 instruments??

Watching her makes you glad she didn’t let her doctor, or her music teacher steal her dream.

Have you ever experienced someone telling you something you felt strongly about couldn’t be done?

Have you ever shared a fantastic idea or goal with a family member or best friend and their immediate reaction was -- "that's crazy"?

With just two words spoken, your excitement comes crashing down around you. Your idea, dream or goal lays at your feet, dashed into a thousand pieces.

Have you let others de-rail or limit you? Instead of following your dream, working on your idea, or mapping out how to reach your goal, have you let someone else's opinion rob you of what’s rightfully yours?

There are multitudes of people who were told they "couldn't do that" or "wouldn't succeed" but have ignored such comments and gone on to become wildly successful.

Some years ago, Evelyn said: "I have been a soloist for over ten years because I decided early on that just because my doctor made a diagnosis that I was profoundly deaf, it didn't mean that my passion couldn't be actualized.

I would encourage people to not allow themselves to be defined or limited by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart. They will lead you to the place you want to go."

Well said, Dame Glennie.

My advice to you is that the next time someone tells you "that's crazy" just smile and ignore them.

And then go out and be a Bregdan Woman!

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What will you do to be a Bregdan Woman?

What will you do today to impact history??

We’re on this journey with you… (and have 2 FREE Gifts for you below…)

Ginny & Suess

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