Teen produces concert for hearing impaired
It might seem odd putting the words himig (“melody” in English) and “hard of hearing” together, but 16-year-old Ela Yupitun explained that that was exactly the point.
After all, the main goal of “Himig Para Sa Hard of Hearing (HHH),” the holiday musical concert on Dec. 14 at Museo Pambata, was to promote the idea that music is for everyone.
Described as a celebration of the art form’s transcendent nature, the concert presupposed that music isn’t something that can only be heard, but felt, seen, and experienced in different and uniquely personal ways.
“With this concert, I really wanted to focus on the hard of hearing (HOH) community, to just give them a voice and tell them, ‘You can experience music the same way everyone else does. And even though you may be physically different from other people, the way that you listen to music is also valuable and important,’” she told Lifestyle. “Music really unites everyone, and that won’t change regardless of whatever form you listen to.”
At such a young age, the Everest International Academy student endeavored to produce her first concert with members of her school’s music society—which she founded and restarted, following a period of inactivity—as performers. “But I knew that it couldn’t just be a regular concert because music really is more than that. I wanted to send a message.”
She learned about the HOH community from her tita Wilma Huang, a director at Museo Pambata, who introduced her to the Hard of Hearing Group Philippines, founded by Raphael Torralba.
She knew she found the perfect cause and immediately started researching more about the community, even talking with ear, nose, and throat specialists as well as audiologists just to understand a little bit more about it.
“To be honest, I didn’t know too much about it going in,” the music enthusiast said, admitting that she initially thought people with hearing disabilities were either completely deaf or not at all. “I learned that hearing impairment is a spectrum, and everyone has their own severity. And that doesn’t mean that they can’t hear music completely, so I really wanted to focus on that.”
Awareness
Now she hopes to spread more awareness about the HOH community. Previously, the music club has also visited homes for the elderly, who also tend to suffer from hearing loss.
“That visit to the home for the aged was really special because we encouraged them to sing,” shared Yupitun. “That reminded me that music really binds people together, no matter what.”
At the concert, the young crooners spread Christmas cheer to children and families of individuals experiencing varying degrees of hearing loss, putting their hearts into their performances of heartwarming holiday ballads like “Merry Christmas, Darling,” “Sana Ngayong Pasko,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” nostalgic anthems like “That’s Life” and “Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as newer ditties like P-pop group Bini’s “Lagi.”
With the help of 37 Ventures Inc., which made surprise donations to the Hard of Hearing Group Philippines, the Philippine Institute for the Deaf, and the Philippine Cochlear Implant Support Group, Yupitun was able to take a step toward gaining experience in the music production field while at the same time reaching out to the marginalized communities.
“I’ve been doing music all my life,” she said, adding that she started out playing the piano but has recently gotten into singing as well. “Recently, I found that I am really interested in the music business and music production because I have this relationship with music that I always feel like I need to share it with other people. And I’m not so much of a performer, to be honest. I prefer to be in the background, which, I guess, is what drew me to music business and music production.”
Yupitun also relished the opportunity to interact with and impact a community that she would otherwise not encounter in her day-to-day life.
“I really like joining clubs and endeavors that allow me to interact with marginalized communities because I find so much meaning and joy when it comes to interacting with them, especially the children. It just fills me with such amazement that they still can stay positive and joyful even though they don’t have much. It really allows me to reflect on my own life and the things that I should be grateful for.”
