Soundscapes, led by band director Bre Osbourn, is in its first year and already has qualified to compete at State. The indoor marching arts performance incorporates American Sign Language. The performance was designed to spread positivity and to include the deaf community in something they don’t normally get to experience.

“It’s supposed to be a piece that you can hear without anything,” freshman Tyson Moore said. “You’re supposed to feel it more than actually listening to the music.”

Being a musical performance for hearing-impaired audiences is something that Moore feels the world needs more of since music is often something that is off-limits for people with hearing impairments. Moore plays the trombone in Soundscapes.

“It meant a lot, because I feel it made me realize how many people can’t really experience the same thing that we can, as in going to a show and being able to hear the same things,” Moore said. “A lot of places don’t offer that widespread thing for people with those disabilities.”

Osbourn pitched joining Soundscapes to her band students, knowing that they could find success and put on award-winning performances.

“It’s very tricky, and it takes a lot of training on your listening skills to know how to balance and move inside. So it’s a really good challenge, but it also makes us better players,” Osbourn said. “They’ve done a fantastic job of learning how to do that and be animated at the same time.”

Soundscapes integrated American Sign Language into their performances with the help of ASL teacher Darnell Woods.

“(Woods) did a really good job,” Osbourn said. “And at our shows, there have been several people that have come up and said, ‘Hey, I have an ASL child, and the fact that you guys did this and did it correctly means a lot.’”