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Subject: Fw: Fw: MENVI discuss: Inspiration?


Hello.  I'm responding to a note from Ariel from this list which was
forwarded to me by a list member, and I hope I can provide some of the
requested inspiration.

I am an avid braille music user and advocate.  I learned it as a 3rd
grader, gave it up, realized its necessity in my college years, and took
it up again using Bettye Krolick's "Dictionary of Braille Music Symbols"
to re-learn it.  Although I can very successfully learn by listening, I
discovered that reading music brought me a whole new learning dimension.
The difference between C flat and D sharp, or C double-sharp and D
natural became clear.  Unfortunately that came about After all my music
theory studies.  Doing theory completely orally is very difficult.

I played trumpet in band all through Junior High, High School, and
College.  I was fortunate to be attending Colorado State University in
Fort Collins, CO, where Bettye Krolick lives, and she has been more than
generous with her transcribing abilities for me.  I found that having a
trumpet part in braille meant not only faster memorization, but also some
degree of sight-reading ability, since I could play with one hand, and
read with the other.  I believe it is specifically because I had music
reading skills, and the availability of braille music, that I had the
opportunity of playing in the university orchestra.  Without a braille
score or another player on the part to rely on, it would have been
extremely difficult, or impossible.  Either way, I don't think the
director would have even considered me without braille music.

I believe braille music made my being hired as a church organist more
probable.  When I first started playing for choir rehearsals 9 years ago,
I was able to play with one hand and read with the other, if one or two
parts needed to be played.  Although with increasing age this doesn't
seem possible for me any more, I still find a braille score much more
convenient to a recorded score, no matter the convenience of the many
digital audio formats available today.  When a measure or phrase slips my
mind (a more frequent happening now days) it is quite easy and Very quick
to locate that spot in a braille score, and re-memorize it in literally
seconds.

Even now that Bettye is no longer transcribing, I still find braille
scores more convenient, even though I have to make them myself.  They are
not as detailed as when a sighted person transcribes, but they give me
the basic needed information.  I spend a lot of time using scanning and
translation software to get the best results I can.  Even as good as
music scanning and recognition is today, I still find it necessary to use
my old Optacon to "see" the notes on the page and make corrections.  All
of this is a very lengthy process, but for me is still more efficient
than quickly producing an audio file I can listen to.  Again, I have
always learned well by listening, but the advantages of braille are such
that it is more practical for me.

I am very thankful for the encouragement I have received through my
lifetime to learn and use braille music.  Even in this day of lots of
good technology, a paper score is extremely valuable.  Even using modern
paperless braille displays, having notes to read is so much more
convenient than sound in your ear.  This is especially true when a lot of
music must be learned quickly, and you need to check a score at the last
minute.  If you've ever used a cd or tape with headphones to quickly
check a hymn or a transition in a choir accompaniment while continuing to
pay attention to a rehearsal or a service, you'll know what I mean.  I
have been much less stressed being able to check something seconds before
playing, than having to hope it would all just be there when I needed it.
A sighted person certainly would do that, so why shouldn't I simplify my
life in the same way?

To anyone who is taking the time to learn transcription, thank you! Work
at learning the code as thoroughly as you can, and strive for accuracy.
Take advantage of the various scanning, notation, and translation
software packages too.  It can take awhile to learn, but it can save you
a lot of time (especially if you can see what you're doing!) Make sure
music teachers are using braille music as much as possible with students
who need it.  It's often hard to realize just how valuable braille scores
are until you have used them for a while.  A quick one-or-two-time trial
doesn't help much, but the more you use them, the better you like them.

I hope this helps a bit.  I would be happy to correspond further with
people who have questions or concerns.

Kevin Utter

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 Good morning,

 In regards to the message about searching for inspiration, I'd like to
share
a few thoughts.

In general, it is often difficult for blind students to grasp the importance
of training in proper skills, whether those skills are the use of a cane,
learning Braille, or use of adaptive software to make computers accessible.
Students and teachers alike can often feel that they have to put in twice
the work to achieve the same results as sighted students.

While learning good skills is certainly time- and energy-consuming, and
while it is often difficult to know where to look for mentors for blind
students, having access to a network of people, blind and sighted, who know
through direct experience the value of this hard work is a terrific
opportunity.

As Richard Taesch illustrated, there are plenty of blind musicians who have
used their Braille literacy to achieve success. In my own case, I graduated
with honors from the Ithaca College School of Music with a degree in piano
performance. Since graduation, I have opened a piano school that currently
serves over 40 students (all sighted). I was a semifinalist in the Tenth
International Competition for Blind Musicians in Prague in 2003, and I am
currently nearing completion of a piano repertoire book to introduce both
blind and sighted students to the concept of interval recognition, which I
have found greatly enhances overall speed of music reading.

I use Braille music on a daily basis with my students and in my own
preparation for recitals. I had very good teachers up until I went to
college, but no support in college, mainly because there wasn't a group like
MENVI back then. However, I have benefited tremendously from work with
colleagues in this group. My Braille music reading and writing have improved
dramatically, and the sense of energy and encouragement, as well as the
obvious passion and commitment from everyone in the network to Braille music
education is priceless.

Thanks to everyone in the network: I hope many others can come to appreciate
what a unique and supportive group this can be.

Stephanie Pieck, Director,
The Music Suite (New York)