It's Everybody's Music: Volume One

Is it an oxymoron: music for the deaf community? Yes, music is by nature “hearing-centric,” but this program made by D-PAN (Deaf Performing Artists Network) seeks to merge music and deaf culture through creating “deaf-centric” music videos for popular songs (all used by permission). It's Everybody's Music, Volume 1 features three D-PAN-produced videos and five “Community Videos” made by other deaf performers. The three D-PAN videos each take a different approach: John Mayer's “Waiting on the World to Change” becomes a sort of deaf-pride anthem, Christina Aguilera's “Beautiful” focuses on American Sign Language (ASL) usage, and Eminem's “Lose Yourself” is a performance video that interprets the song's dense lyrics specifically for ASL. The community videos are a mixed bag: some are simply homegrown YouTube SimCom (lip syncing with ASL) interpretations of popular songs, ranging from The Killers to James Brown, but one is a powerful original rap from a deaf artist, Signmark, with decidedly higher production values. Viewers who can hear will most likely want to watch the bonus “making-of” featurette first to better understand what goes into creating the videos, as well as learn some basics about ASL (hearing viewers will also gain some insight into the challenges and advantages the deaf have in everyday communications). Also featuring an introduction to the D-PAN organization, this unique, creative music DVD compilation is recommended. Aud: P. (E. Gieschen)