The one minute countdown before the show begins. The people in the audience focus all of their attention to the stage, which has been lit up with an array of lights. The lights in the auditorium begin to fade as curtains begin to open. As the performers take their position on the stage for the opening act, and the music starts to play, each performer takes the audience on a visual journey by expressing the song lyrics through sign language.

The American Sign Language (ASL) concert, Music To My Eyes, was held on March 29 in the Performing Arts Center from 6 to 8 p.m. The audience included friends and family of the performers, and people in the deaf community. Additionally, the first two rows in the auditorium were reserved for the deaf and deafblind. One of the people who helped organize this concert was junior Julianna Jones, the activities coordinator.

“This year, we donated to the Deaf Blind Camp of Texas while last year we donated to Camp Aspen,” said Jones. “We also had a ‘Doctor Who’ theme, which made the show more exciting.”

The concert began with a short, yet inspirational video about the Deaf blind Camp of Texas in order to show the audience that the money they spent to attend this show was for a good cause. Then the MCs introduced the theme and the show began.There was a wide variety of songs that was performed, which captivated the interest of everyone watching.

“This concert was meant to raise money for the organization we are donating to, but the main purpose was to bring the deaf and hearing communities together,” said Jones.

The performers appeared to be enjoying themselves and as a result, each act stood out. The first half of the show encompassed of mostly duets and group acts while the second half was mostly solo acts. The performers included ASL students from Tompkins, Katy and Morton Ranch high school.

“This concert gave students insight into the performance world and allowed them to get out of their comfort zones as they performed in a language that many of them were not completely fluent in,” said Jones.

The final act of the show was performed by Tompkins ASL students and was an energetic number to the song “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. However, what seemed like the finale was not as the ASL club had one more surprise for the audience. Tompkins and Katy American Sign Language teachers, Amber Warren and Kandice McGrew respectively, performed to the inspirational song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. Afterwards, all of the performers took their final bow and the curtain closed on the Tompkins’ second annual show of Music To My Eyes.