To promote inclusivity through music, British singer-songwriter Calum Scott recently met with some Filipino Deaf students from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) for an exclusive get-together.
The event included a screening of the American Sign Language (ASL) rendition of Scott’s 2021 single Biblical, which carries a message of immeasurable love.
The song’s ASL interpretation, which was crafted through his partnership with the Los Angeles-based, non-profit arts organization Deaf West Theater, provided the Benilde SDEAS learners with a brief introduction of Scott’s advocacy as well as a preview of the Deaf culture from a different country.
He expressed his gratitude to the young for allowing him to share his advocacy with them.
“I just want to include as many people and touch as many people emotionally with music as possible, and I don’t think music is exclusive only for people who can hear,” he stated. “I think whether you’re hard of hearing or whether you’re Deaf, you can still understand and appreciate it through visually, you can still understand the lyric.”
“I think it is important to try and reach as many people as possible through as many mediums as possible,” he furthered. “We just have to share this because music is an international language, whether you can hear it or not.”
Meanwhile, Scott learned basic Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and communicated with the Deaf talents.
Together with the Deaf learners, the artist performed his latest song Lighthouse in FSL. The full-hearted piece conveys light in the darkness and hope on the horizon.
The initiative was held at the Benilde Design + Arts Campus in collaboration with the Universal Music Group and Benilde School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS).
Benilde SDEAS Officer-In-Charge Dean John Xandre Baliza underscored the occasion allowed the Deaf trailblazers to personally meet a world-renowned vocalist, which left an inspirational mark on them.
“It has a huge impact for them to be able to interact with an international artist such as Calum and to see an ally in the industry making music accessible,” Baliza noted.
“You know the misconception that Deaf people do not appreciate music, but that is far from the truth,” he furthered. “Deaf people really understand and appreciate music the same way us, hearing people, do.”
Scott rose to fame after he finished sixth place in the talent competition Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. Among his popular hits are Dancing On My Own, You Are The Reason, and At Your Worst.
Motivated by his joint effort with the Deaf West Theater, Scott has supported and looked for ways to include and improve the Deaf community’s accessibility in the industry.
