Nonprofit Brings Music To Those Who Can't Hear It
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (CBS4) - Whether you're listening, music is everywhere. It's hard to imagine never hearing the beat of a drum or sound of a piano key, but for some it's a reality.
That's where Feel The Beat comes in. A dance studio in Wheat Ridge designed specifically for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"She has auditory Neuropathy which is a brain processing issue. Basically you can liken it to turning the dial on a radio," Casey Baldwin said.
Her daughter, Madison, was often overwhelmed by music because of the hearing disorder.
It's hard to believe when you watch her dance.
"I think she can access the sound a lot more easily and feel a lot more like part of what's going on rather than just trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing," Baldwin said.
That's because the beat she's moving to isn't coming from the speakers.
"We knew it had a benefit for these kids so we needed to create it," co-founder Julia Faliano said.
And that's what she and business partner Jari Majewski did.
They built a dance floor that moves with the music.
"Bone conduction transducers are under the floor, and they are vibrating the air so sound is coming mechanically through the air and into the bones," she said.
Every one of the classes at Feel The Beat are tailored to kids who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"It's rare, and it's just a good feeling to have a place where she's really just part of it. She's just another kid in the class," Baldwin said.
While it's an opportunity for her daughter and so many others like her to experience something they'd otherwise miss out on. The real joy may be for those watching.
"It's not about her having needs. It's not about anything else. It's just about Madison dancing. It's very cool," she said through tears.
Feel The Beat is a nonprofit always in need of support.