 Music is something that so many of us enjoy, but for the heart of hearing and the deaf community, they often do not have the same luxury. That was not the case today at Central Lakes College during the American Sign Language class annual performance. A reporter Rachel Johnson has the story. The Chalberg Theater at Central Lakes College was alive with music today as students in the American Sign Language City class performed their final projects. This was not your typical musical performance. There's a lot of work that goes into it. It's months and months of breaking down a song, figuring out what it means and trying to put it into things that match the beats and stuff of the music. The volume was loud so attendees could feel the vibrations of the music as students signed the lyrics to offer the full experience for the deaf community. The music in a concert is a whole experience. It's not just words and that's why this really is important for the deaf community to give the full experience to the deaf community. The attendees were given balloons that allowed them to feel the vibrations of the music, adding a whole other dimension to the performance. The music has to be loud so the deaf and hard of hearing people in our community can feel it and the balloons help to like transmit the vibrations. It allows the deaf and hard of hearing to feel the beats of what we're doing and like how like deep or fast or slow they're going. American Sign Language is the third most commonly used language in the United States and is an important and popular area of study. You will meet deaf people in your life. It's inevitable and we want that experience to be positive. According to the instructors and students it's very important that sign language is offered in schools. ASL classes are so important. It really does make a global perspective for students to learn about people who are different than themselves, who are in our community and they can meet on a daily basis. The projects and the ASL class not only enhance students' knowledge of sign language but it also increase their confidence. I love seeing the students grow as a person. They learn the language but they learn the culture too and they grow themselves as a person by stretching themselves. The students start scared and nervous and kind of a little mice a lot of times and by the end they're monsters on the stage. They take control of it and they own it so it's a great experience for them. Reporting from Brainerd, Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News. If you're interested in seeing a similar performance, the American Sign Language classes at Brainerd High School will be offering their community concert in early May. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.