Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Whitehall's Jessica Ryan in tune with her violin
 Jessica Ryan, a hearing-impaired seventh-grader from Logan Middle School, plays her violin Tuesday during rehearsal for the All-City String Festival Concert at the La Crosse Center. Ryan commutes to Logan from Whitehall, Wis. PETER THOMSON photo |
When Jessica Ryan started playing the violin, she didn't always hear clearly what she played. But she felt the vibrations of the instrument against her ear.
"I didn't know if I was in tune or playing the right notes," Ryan said. "It was hard, but I worked hard and I got better."
Ryan, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Whitehall, Wis., is hearing impaired and one of Beth Becker's best string students at La Crosse Logan Middle School.
Becker, who also is hearing-impaired, has taken Ryan under her wing. She has worked with Ryan since fourth grade.
"The violin is such a challenging instrument for anyone, and I'm extra careful to encourage her, but not baby her," Becker said. "We have worked a lot on rhythm and intonation, and she can now hear when she is out of tune.
"I'm proud of the progress she has made," she said. "She is a hard worker and she has stuck with it."
Ryan was one of more than 600 string students performing Tuesday night at the 20th annual La Crosse School District All-City String Festival at the La Crosse Center.
"It's pretty amazing how many people listen to us and how many kids participate in orchestra in La Crosse," Ryan said.
Ryan commutes two hours each school day from Whitehall to La Crosse to attend Logan's hearing-impaired program.
In elementary school, she attended the hearing-impaired program at North Woods in La Crosse where Becker also teaches strings.
"It was amazing to see her, that she was hearing impaired and that she could teach and play the violin so well," Ryan said.
She said her mother, Janet, always wanted her to play violin. Jessica Ryan said she liked the instrument and the sound right away.
Ryan was born with hearing, but gradually lost most of it during the first few years of life. She learned sign language and sometimes needs a sign interpreter in larger-size classes.
"It was difficult to hear what I was playing, but I would fiddle around until I got the right notes," Ryan said. "It was frustrating and confusing at times, but she (Becker) made it easier. She knew what I was going through."
Ryan said she is even hearing better since she received a cochlear implant more than two years ago at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The medical device was implanted in her right ear and directly stimulates auditory nerves to allow her to learn to hear and interpret sounds and speech. She wears a hearing aid in her left ear.
"I can hear better what I play, and I can get the right notes most of time," she said.
Becker, who plays viola with the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, said she had the same problems playing in tune and hitting the right notes when she was a child. But she worked on her playing and her listening skills.
"I think the violin has helped Jessica's self-confidence and self-esteem," Becker said. "She has had to work harder. The violin did not come naturally for her."
Ryan also is studying clarinet and piano, but violin is her favorite instrument. She is setting her sights on playing in Logan High School's orchestra some day.
"Jessica gets the same thing that everyone gets from playing in an orchestra — the joy of making music with others," Becker said. "But it's also a place where she can be just like everybody, and there's no interpreter around. She can be herself."
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at (608) 791-8227 or trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com.
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.