Drummers with hearing defects refuse to miss a beat

SHIJIAZHUANG－Jazz drummer Liu Boyu, 12, wears his hair long not to try and look cool, but to hide his physical defect－underdeveloped ears.

Born with microtia, the external parts of Liu's ears are missing completely and he has very little functional hearing. However, the birth defect does not affect his passion for music.

He grips two drum sticks and creates a driving rhythm to go with the music. "I like playing jazz drums. The rhythm helps me build my confidence," he said in sign language.

Formed at the end of last year, Liu's band of jazz drummers has seven members. It is under the Xinji Special Education School in Hebei province.

As one of more than 2,000 special education institutes in China, the 27-year-old school offers primary and middle school courses such as Chinese, math and fine arts for 75 physically or mentally handicapped students.

The lyrics of Love Runs Out, a song recorded by US pop rock band OneRepublic in 2014, echoes through Liu's school. "I'll be your light, your match, your burning sun..."

Unlike the energetic Liu, 13-year-old Wang Lei'ao is much more reserved while playing the drums. He cannot hear sound below 120 decibels, which means he has complete hearing loss.

To pick up the rhythm, Wang has to fix his eyes on the gestures of his teacher, Sun Shicha. "It is the most difficult skill I have ever learned. But I won't give up," Wang said in sign language.

Sun said that for the hearing impaired, the most difficult thing about playing drums is coordinating the hands, eyes and brain.

"I will change my gestures during the performance to show them the rhythm," Sun said ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was on Tuesday.

"They may face loneliness and frustration in the future, but in their short school years, I hope they can find the joy and confidence to fight their setbacks."

The 37-year-old is the youngest of the 30 teachers at the special education school. Sun said it is not easy to teach the hearing impaired.

To get a sense of what a world of silence is like, Sun uses earplugs and cotton balls to block her ears. She gently leads the students by pretending to make mistakes while hitting the beats and asks them to correct her errors.

"Practicing over and over causes my students to get blisters on their hands, but no one wants to stop," Sun said.

The band had its premiere performance in June, and was warmly received by the audience.

Wang Yongquan, the principal of the Xinji Special Education School, said the drummers are eager for success and acceptance. "So are their parents. They always wait patiently outside the classroom when their children practice playing drums. It seems that everyone takes something of value from it," he said.

Most graduates of the special education school move to vocational schools to learn skills such as woodcarving, sewing and dancing, while some enroll in college, he added.

Sun said the school should not be defined by the physical imperfections of its students. She wants to name the drumming band Nifeng, which means "against the wind" in English. "Every one of us is flying against the wind without leaving a trace. However, the sound of music will be here forever, even in a world of silence," she said.

China has around 85 million people with disabilities. It has been making efforts to offer quality and inclusive education for handicapped children and teenagers.

Last year, 666,000 students with disabilities studied in special education schools, an increase of 298,000 people, or 81 percent over 2013, according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office in July.