Deaf Music Project Documentary
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The presenters will briefly outline the history of the Deaf Music Project at Teachers College, and provide a summary of the music concert and conference events over the past 2 years, the recent deaf music research collaborative, and showcasing a documentary about music classes at a school for the deaf.
Event will conclude with discussion about future directions for music as a tool for language and social emotional learning.
About the Speakers
Julia Silvestri
Julia Silvestri is an adjunct assistant professor in the Program for Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has worked as an educator and administrator in a range of schools for the deaf and public school programs in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Through her work at Teachers College, she has led and expanded the award winning ASL Club and Deaf Music Project over a period of six years; and was awarded the Faculty Advisor of the Year award for the 2019-2020 school year.
Yiru Chen
Yiru Chen is an award-winning film director and poet. Born and raised in Shanghai, China, she graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Film and Television production and minors in Psychology and American Sign Language. Currently, Yiru is pursuing her master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education. Her short film <Handscape> starred non-professional actors from the Shanghai Deaf community while addressing a hard of hearing boy’s love for music and desire to dance despite his mother’s outright disapproval. Yiru remains an advocate for sign language education and arts, as well as accessibility in both countries.