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Can deaf people enjoy live music? Yes, and here’s how…

MATT MAXEY,DEAF,ASL,SIGN LANGUAGE

DEAFinitely | YouTube

Sophia Swinford - published on 09/05/17

Matt does a lot more than sign; he brings songs to life.

Meet Matt Maxley, deaf performing artist and interpreter at Chance the Rapper’s performances. Before every performance, it’s Matt’s job to memorize all the songs and interpret them for the deaf and hearing impaired folks in the audience. Matt doesn’t just sign, though. He puts the full feeling of the song into his signing, transforming the songs into a full visual experience.



Read more:
WATCH: Deaf choreographer teaches students to dance to vibrations

“People would say, ‘I didn’t even know deaf people could do this. I didn’t know that deaf people could rap,'” he said. “I do hope that one day music festivals everywhere will have sign language interpreters provided.”

Watch the audience’s reaction below.

Tags:
DisabilitiesMusic
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