Concert for hearing impaired brings 500

Music is a universal language, and Sean Forves has found a way to reach even the hearing impared.

Forbes, 28, is a co-founder of Deaf Professional Artists Network. The Network hosted a concert Tuesday night in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium, together with Central Michigan University’s branch of the American Sign Language.

About 500 students and members of the hearing impaired community attended and watched a presentation by Forbes, several of his music videos and a live musical signing performance.

“It’s a place where deaf artists can come together and show their works amongst each other,” said Forbes, a Farmington Hills native.

Forbes showed several of D-PAN’s music videos, which took popular songs and re-imagined them with an emphasis on sign language and issues relevant to the hearing impaired community.

One video featured Forbes signing emphatically in a similar setting to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” music video and another interpreted “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer.

“John Mayer loved this video, and he was very accepting of it,” Forbes said during the presentation.

Later, he introduced his high school friend Rosie Switras, who is active in ASL music.

She got on stage to sign the lyrics and dance along to “Drops of Jupiter” by Train, with a strong bass beat and colorful visualizer behind her.

“You’ll be able to not only hear the music, but see it and feel it,” said Illinois senior and ASLS President Mallorie Ceisel.

Kevin Cramer, ASLS adviser and temporary faculty for ASL, said University Events had recently installed new subwoofers in the auditorium which would literally let students feel the music.

The event cost roughly $2,500 to assemble, he said.

Cramer said events like these provide a gathering place for the hearing impaired community.

“This is kind of like going home,” he said.

Forbes has worked with several musicians, particularly in the Detroit region, including Eminem.

He got started in the music industry when he debuted some of his music videos signing the rapper’s songs for Eminem.

“When the first song finished, Eminem looked at me and said, ‘Deaf people like music?’” Forbes said during the presentation.

CMU’s ASL program has boomed in Kramer’s ten years with it to 32 classes this semester from six.

Many students in attendance were enrolled in ASL courses, including Flushing freshman Brandon Hilsabeck.

He is planning on going into special education and said he was impressed by the performance.

“(Forbes) didn’t really give up what he loved, but he changed the way people think and how he goes about things,” he said.