Deaf Students Perform Sign Language Music Video to Celebrate What Makes Them Unique

Students at Bankbridge Elementary School created a sign language version of the song “This Is Me” on YouTube.

Some deaf and hard-of-hearing students in South Jersey are proving that music is a universal language for all.

Seven children at Bankbridge Elementary School in Gloucester County created their own sign language music video to the song “This is Me” from the musical “The Greatest Showman.”

“No matter what disability you have, you can still enjoy music,” said Alyssa Cop, a musical therapist who works with the students once a week.

In the video, students dancing down the hallway while peers clap and cheer them on.

Then, the students marched over to the school gymnasium where high schoolers and staff members sang along to "This is Me" in sign language with the kids.

Cop and teacher Jennifer Hansbury helped coordinate the music video as part of an end-of-the-year activity for the students.

They choose the song because its lyrics promote inclusivity.

“When I heard the song I just thought it was so special and magical and I thought the kids could relate to it,” Cop said.

The students, who ranged from first-graders to fifth-graders, were joined by high schoolers from Gloucester County Institute of Technology.

“We we’re just trying to spread the message of hope and that it’s okay to be different and unique,” Cop said.

The music video posted to Gloucester County Special Services School District's YouTube channel has almost 10,000 views as of Wednesday, and the students are excited for their moment of fame.

“They feel like little celebrities,” said Cop. “We were so excited and overwhelmed.”

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