Learning to play a musical instrument is hard work, so imagine learning to play four. That’s what 11-year-old Charlie Denton has managed to do – despite being completely deaf. Charlie has Usher syndrome, a rare condition that causes deafness and, in some cases, blindness, too – but it hasn’t stopped him learning the drums, guitar, piano and violin. He wears cochlear implants, a medical device that sends signals from the inner ear directly to the brain. “We were told he would have no appreciation for music, so just to see him enjoying playing and listening to music is all we could ask for,” said his mother, Emma. Charlie can also choose to turn off his implants if he doesn’t want to hear something, “He flicks them off if I’m nagging…
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The Week Junior (Digital) - 1 Issue, No. 125