The fall featured musician is senior Emma Waughen, who is a completely self-taught, hearing-impaired musician. She was born deaf and went through a few surgeries at the age of two that allowed her to gain some hearing but Waughen is still slowly losing her hearing. Waughen has had hearing aids since she was young. One of the main ways she learned music at a young age was through vibrations. Still today she has challenges with not being able to hear instructors during rehearsals, or hear herself quite. Waughen said, “being a part of a musical or choir and not hearing everything is very tough. It feels almost impossible to get through the day all of the time. I say almost because I’ve found my way.”

  Waughen has been playing and making music for about thirteen years now. She is part of the marching band’s PIT crew, which is the front ensemble that adds some extra sound that percussion, brass, and woodwinds don’t. She has also participated in swimming, dance, and volleyball. Waughen’s favorite hobbies to help past time besides music and sport is reading and writing. She has written a couple of novels, short stories, and poems. When Waughen is asked about continuing music after college she said, “Yes, I do plan to continue with music outside of high school. I am intending next year to go into a field of education as I go into college so I can teach. I’m hoping to teach creative writing or English… so if a go to a school and they have a whole music department and I can help out with extra-curricular there and keep performing on the side with my career and keep continuing.” Some places Waughen has performed are most recently a home volleyball game and at the Hummelstown Arts Festival.