Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

There are nine million people in the UK with some degree of hearing loss, but many of them can and do enjoy music.

Deaf people CAN make music

Paul Whittaker founded the "Music and the Deaf" charity (MatD), which is based in Huddersfield, in 1988.

Paul himself is profoundly deaf but was determined to share his passion for music with other people:

"What's important is not your disability but your ability.

"I think at the outset, everyone has got the ability to be creative... but it's the way that is encouraged and tapped into when you're young that makes all the difference."

Hi-notes

One of the projects set up by MatD is a group called 'Hi-notes' which consists of eight deaf young people who wanted to create their own music.

Music helped Thomas West express himself

They’re led by Danny Lane, MatD’s Education Projects Manager. Danny’s been profoundly deaf since birth and without his hearing aids would hear absolutely nothing.

He’s been fighting prejudice all this life:

"I had to educate teachers in school and say, 'Look, I do enjoy music - this is how I do it. Now you have to teach me in a way that I can understand it'."

MatD works to help deaf children realise their musical dreams.

Eleven-year-old Thomas West from Leeds has severe hearing loss but has still been able to take up the piano.

His father Chris West says it's made a real difference to his life:

"When Thomas was first diagnosed he was quite shy, he was quite introspective, in some ways he was quite remote.

"With the music, it helped him express himself and also it's given him lots of confidence, in fact there's quite a showman in Thomas.

"He's very outgoing now."

Royal Albert Hall

In July 2008, Hi-notes won the New Group Composition Award at the finals of the one of the UK’s major music festivals, the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham.

On stage at the Royal Albert Hall

Following that success the group was invited to perform at the Music for Youth Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

The schools' prom is one of the biggest events in the music calendar – three nights of the very best schools music from across the UK.

Inside Out went with them to London to hear them play "Tutankhamen’s Curse" – a piece the members of the ensemble wrote themselves.

And the whole occasion proves a point for Chris West:

"With the right support and the right people round them, deafness doesn't have to stop them achieving anything that they want to do."

A thought echoed by Danny Lane, "It made me realise that it doesn't matter who you are, whatever you want to do, you can do it - and that's exactly what these players did.

"It's a really good feeling."