And as I grew older, I then auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music in London, and they said, well, no, we won't accept you, because we haven't a clue - you know - of the future of a so-called 'deaf' musician. And I just couldn't quite accept that.

I hope the seeds I have sown will be taken up by those who will follow me because the journey I have begun cannot be undertaken in isolation.

Music is about communication... it isn't just something that maybe physically sounds good or orally sounds interesting it's something far, far deeper than that.

Society cannot continue to disable themselves through their need to categorize people or make assumptions as to another individual's abilities.

The human body and mind are tremendous forces that are continually amazing scientists and society. Therefore, we have no choice but to keep an open mind as to what the human being can achieve.