Early Advocates of Music Education for the Hearing Impaired: William Wolcott Turner and David Ely Bartlett

Abstract

Published histories of music education do not often recognize early instances of music for handicapped students. Music for the hearing impaired is more obscure than for most handicapping conditions because it is often regarded as impractical. This study recognizes the early efforts of William Wolcott Turner and David Ely Bartlett on behalf of music education for the deaf In an 1848 article in the American Annals for the Deaf and Dumb, these two pioneers showed that a hearing-impaired student could learn music and that sound reasons existed to support such an endeavor. The research confirmed both the authenticity and credibility of Turner and Bartlett's work, with biographical information on the two authors and a critical analysis of the contents of their article in light of subsequent research on music for the hearing impaired.

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