Music is felt and played

I Am a Musician is the program that creates spaces for participation in musical experiences and concerts for people with disabilities. And this year he wants to bring music to people with hearing disabilities. In this way, Filarmed seeks for this population to guarantee their rights to cultural citizenship, and to promote greater opportunities for inclusion in the community in general.

This year it has decided to convene and hold workshops specifically aimed at people with hearing disabilities, generating spaces for contact, expression and enjoyment of music through vibrations, tactile, and visual. A sign language interpreter will participate in the workshop supporting the team of program facilitators; We also seek to know the participants' habits of approach to music, to begin thinking about ideas for inclusive orchestral formats.

According to the National Quality of Life Survey carried out by DANE, until 2021 in Colombia there are around 460 thousand people who classify themselves as a person with some level of hearing disability. Some of them with congenital pathologies and others who, having been born hearing, have been losing their hearing over the years.

Together, we vibrate stronger 

This year the program became a scholarship recipient of the Musical Care International Network, one of the most important networks in the world that brings together various entities to explore paths of care through music from different disciplinary and cultural perspectives.

A wide range of care practices through music are developed on the network, from music therapy experiences, community music, to health campaigns. “The support of Musical Care will allow us to acquire new knowledge and energize workshops with various didactic and sensory methodologies,” explained Juanita Eslava, coordinator of the Soy Músico program.

The call is open to the entire population with a hearing disability. “Musicians from Filarmed will participate in our workshops and will present their instruments and we will seek to create immersive experiences from different senses to bring participants closer to the world of the orchestra and music,” explained the coordinator.

The Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra will generate spaces for enjoyment through music for this community, understand how they approach music as a well-being strategy, and become short-term promoters of experiences designed not only for the enjoyment of the listening community. —as has been traditional in orchestras— but also for non-listeners.