Deaf singer wows WHS with jazz concert

Mandy Harvey, an accomplished jazz vocalist, visited Wenatchee High School students yesterday to perform and to share her life story and the challenges she has had to overcome as a deaf musician.

Simultaneously speaking and signing in ASL to her audience, Harvey relayed her passion for music which began at an early age. She sang and performed in choirs at the age of four and years later made an audition to be a part of a 500+ member choir that performed at the Sydney Opera House. She recalled feeling in awe of the director’s ability to be responsible for such a large and emotional journey of sound.

In college, Harvey studied vocal music education. Around the age of 18, however, she began to lose her hearing to the point that even hearing aids no longer helped her. She is now legally deaf in both ears.

Harvey described losing her hearing and having to return home from college as a painful culture shock. Over time, however, she regained her ability to communicate through ASL and to feel confident in her musical abilities.

“I started again by playing guitar with my dad,” Harvey signed and recalled. “Then one day he encouraged me to try and sing too.”

Relearning to sing was a tedious process. Harvey would use a tuner to find the right starting pitch. She then would sight read through pieces of music, restarting every time she made a mistake.

“I could feel when I was loud or when I was soft…when I finished [a song] one day my dad said it was awesome,” she said.

Harvey recorded herself singing and sent the recording to her former instructor. A series of connections through that instructor lead her to opportunities to perform in front of an audience. Today, she has recorded several albums, and she tours around the country.

After sharing her story, Harvey alternated between answering audience questions and performing with her band. She explained her changed understanding of music through lyrics, vibrations and dynamics. Harvey performs barefoot and is able to stay in time both by visual cues, timing, and feeling the vibrations of downbeats through her feet.

“The last time I actually heard music was in 2006…I like to sing what I know because I remember the emotion it gave me,” she said.

“Growing up, losing my hearing was my greatest fear. But it never kept me from music. I never would have been able to imagine my scared, shy former self living the life I do now,” she said.

Harvey will be performing a concert this tonight at the Snowy Owl Theater at 7 p.m.. Tickets are $22 at the door.