This page table of contents, 4sections:
Section 1: The National Resource Center
Section 2: Some Facts About braille Music and Technology
Section 3: Common Situations in Music Education
where Technology can Help
Section 4: Endorsements
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The National Resource Center for Blind Musicians provides information and referral
services on matters regarding Braille music, technology, and strategies that
enable visually impaired people to study music in school or college settings.
It can direct inquirers to someone in its network of musicians and teachers
in the field and can provide consultation and training. It runs the Summer
Institute for Blind College-bound Musicians, which provides intensive training
for students studying music at the college level.
The National Resource Center is a division of the Music and Arts Center for
Humanity, a school of the arts serving children and adults with special needs
in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The Resource Center reaches beyond the state
to share its experience and hard-to-find information regarding blindness and
music education with students, professional musicians, parents and teachers.
-- Locating Sources of Braille Music. We do not have a Braille music library
or transcribe Braille music, but we may have suggestions for finding a piece
of music when the standard sources can't help.
-- Suggestions for Including Blind Students in Music Activities. Teachers can talk with us about how to get students started with Braille music, teaching strategies, or ways for students to keep up with their peers in theory or ensemble activities.
-- Advice to musicians losing vision. The Resource Center can help musicians who have hitherto worked with print music find new methods to accomplish their goals.
-- On-site training for students and teachers. In some cases, our staff can travel to conduct workshops for school staff and provide training to students in Braille music and technology.
-- Put people in touch with blind musicians in their area who often serve as mentors. Our network of musicians around the country has a great deal of accumulated experience in every imaginable area. If we don't know the answer to a particular question, chances are we can put you in touch with someone who does.
-- Summer Institute for Blind College-bound Musicians. This residential program is designed for students preparing to study music theory and related music courses at the high school or college level. The one-week intensive concentrates on braille music reading, theory, and the use of technology for producing written music assignments. Held at the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, students gain experience using mobility and independence skills in a campus setting, along with networking and socializing with peers and mentors. See our Summer Institute page.
-- Services in Connecticut. The Resource Center works on a contract basis with schools and state agencies to provide technical support for students in high school music classes. It also can provide lessons in braille music and technology. In collaboration with other departments at the Music and Arts Center, it provides "fun" days of arts activities for children throughout the state. Blind and visually impaired children and adults are welcome to MACH's camps, music school, New Visions dance program, and a broadening array of programs for people with special needs.
National Resource Center for Blind Musicians,
Music and Arts Center for Humanity
510 Barnum Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06608
Phone (203) 366-3300
Fax 203-368-2847
E-mail: info@blindmusicstudent.org
Web Address: http://www.blindmusicstudent.org
Braille Music is a form of the 6-dot braille code, and was invented by Louis Braille at the same time he devised the alphabet. A page of music in braille is not set up with lines and staves, but it provides all the information a sighted person gets from a page of print music. It allows a blind musician to read and work through piano, band, or choral parts, study music theory, take sight-singing classes and analyze music scores -- skills necessary for those making a serious study of music.
The largest source of Braille music in the United States is the Music Section of the National Library Service, Library of Congress, phone 800-424-8567, web site http://www.loc.gov/nls. The Music Section's E-mail address is nlsm@loc.gov.Any U.S. citizen who receives braille or recorded materials from an NLS cooperating network library is eligible to register for borrowing music material. Registration, which must be in the borrower's name, must be done directly with the Music section by calling the phone number given above. Anyone may check the availability of a particular music title through the NLS online Union Catalog, which is directly off the NLS home page. Several hundred music books and scores from the Library of Congress collection are available for download through the Web-Braille system. Files are in a braille format that can be read on a braille display or printed out on an embosser. Web-Braille may be used only by NLS patrons who have signed up for the service. . Interested users must register through their network libraries.
Braille music is produced mostly by volunteer transcribers in several agencies, where they may be purchased and sometimes borrowed. . One of the largest U.S. producers of braille music for purchase is the National Braille Association, based in Rochester, New York, phone 585-427-8260, Web site http://www.nationalbraille.org. The NBA On-Line Music Catalog is located under the link for NBA Services. It lists some music textbooks and a wide variety of scores that may be of particular interest to students. A database listing holdings of other agencies is The American Printing House's Louis Catalog at http://www.aph.org/louis.See this web site's resource page for links to many of these agencies. Braille translation software is now making it possible for school personnel who do not know the braille music code to produce band parts and specific assignments for their students. The most widely used system for doing this is the GOODFEEL (R) Braille Music Transllator from Dancing Dots Braille Music Technology, Phone (610) 783-6692, web site http://www.dancingdots.com. Other systems are sold by Opus Technologies, phone (858) 538-9401, Web site http://www.opustec.com. With the GOODFEEL system, a sighted person has the choice of using accompanying programs to enter the music into the computer manually or to scan music into the computer. This is not an automatic process, as scanned music requires some editing before it can be tranlated into braille. Once the music has been translated, the braille output can be embossed or E-mailed to the student. At this time, the process of scanning and editing for producing error-free braille is not something a blind person can do fully independently, due to the graphical nature of music and scanning software. Some blind musicians have found ways to scan music for personal use, but Success varies. Another way for a student to obtain music independently for translation into braile is to download MIDI files from the Internet. This has limitations, since MIDI files do not contain dynamic markings and the quality of their production may not allow for accurate braille.
For many situations, the best approach is still for the music to be produced manually by certified braille transcribers. Skilled transcribers are very much in demand and their specialized work is greatly appreciated. Anyone interested in learning to be a transcriber should contact the Library of Congress, which has a correspondence course leading to certification.
The braille music code can be learned by people of any age, but it is generally recommended that learning wait until the student is already a fluent reader of contracted literary braille. Although it may be ideal that a child learn the music code at the same time as his instrument, circumstances with children mainstreamed in public school traditionally have the child begin lessons in the instrument first and be introduced to the music braille code later on. Most people deal with the inherent challenges of braille music by learning as much as they will need for the type of music they are interested in. A few books have been published for learning braille music. The mature student can use them on his or her own, but the preferred method is to work with a teacher. A teacher does not necessarily have to know braille music, but should have a good understanding of the principles behind it, that make braille music different from print music. The National Resource Center can provide advice to teachers in this regard. Books frequently used include "Primer of Braille Music" by Edward W. Jenkins, and "How to Read Braille Music" by Bettye Krolick. These are available on loan in braille from the Music Section of the National Library Service, Library of Congress. The Music Section can loan print editions of these books to a parent or teacher who request them in the student's name. The books may be purchased from Opus Technologies in San Diego, CA, phone (858) 538-9401, Web site http://www.opustec.com.
Students and teachers who are looking for a comprehensive and structured system for learning braille music in the broader context, should look into the sets of books published by Dancing Dots. Written by Richard Taesch of the Southern California Conservatory of Music, the approach combines braille music, with the basic elements of music theory, emphasizing principles of solfege. The teacher does not need to know braille. Use this direct link to the course description on the Dancing dots web site for more information.
The Music Education Network for the Visually Impaired comprises students, parents, teachers, and professionals. An advisory committee of experts in the field is available to help with all aspects of music education. Members can elect to discuss issues using the MENVI listserv. The Web site for all information about MENVI is http://www.menvi.org.
Listservs, such as Braillem and the listservs run by Dancing dots, can also be helpful. See our Resources page for information.
Correspondence and Distance Learning Courses in Braille Music. The National Resource Center is testing online methods for working with students wishing to study braille music or technology for submitting theory assignments in print. Students must have enough computer literacy to handle working interactively through an online voicechat system. Please contact us if interested in being one of our "guinea pigs." The free correspondence course for blind students from the Hadley School for the Blind is not being offered at this time. Dancing Dots periodically offers training workshops, primarily for sighted people needing to learn how to produce braille music from scanned print. As mentioned, The Library of Congress offers a certification course for braille music transcribers.
The music technology now accessible for blind musicians and students falls into two broad categories--software that works with notation, either print or braille, and software that allows people to produce and manipulate music as sound, such as for recording studio work.
The notation software we teach most often to our students is contained in the GOODFEEL(R) package from Dancing Dots. This is a suite of programs which includes Lime, a music editor, and scripts called Lime Aloud that make it accessible with JAWS; Sharp-Eye, a music scanning program, and the GOODFEEL Braille Music Translator, which can translate properly prepared mprint music files into braille. These programs are used in different combinations to meet various needs. Our students most often use these programs to create theory assignments in print, using Lime and the Lime Aloud scripts to enter and print their work,and then the GOODFEEL Braille Music Translator to produce a braille copy. Teachers and transcribers, who need to produce a finished braille product, scan musicwith Sharp-Eye, edit the music with Lime, and produce the braille copy with GOODFEEL. For school systems that use the popular program, Finale, teachers can export Finale files into a format called XML, which can then be read by Lime and brailled with GOODFEEL. Contact Dancing Dots directly to learn about the various options and prices.
Dancing Dots also sells Sibelius Speaking, scripts which make the music program Sibelius accessible with JAWS. Sibelius is a sophisticated program that can produce print scores of publisher quality. The program and scripts require many hours of learning. Since program versions often change before compatible scripts are ready, it is best to consult with Dancing Dots before making any purchase.
Music as Sound. Caketalking, a package of scripts and tutorials, gives access to Cakewalk Sonar, a professional MIDI sequencing and audio editing program used in many recording studios. Music is played from a music keyboard to the click of a metronome, and multiple parts may be added. Then a microphone is used to record audio tracks. All can be edited, speeded up, parts "punched in", and enhanced with effects. All major functions are accessible. Although designed for studio musicians, the CakeTalking scripts make the program simple enough for elementary school children to enjoy the thrill of composing music. Dancing dots markets the CakeTalking scripts and should be contacted regarding compatibility and accessibility of system components.
Pro Tools. The music editing program most widely used in recording studios,
and the one required in most colleges, is Pro Tools, available in Windows and
Macintosh versions. While earlier versions of Pro Tools are accessible with
the outSPOKEN screen reader under Mac OS 9, the current version of Pro Tools
is not accessible under
Windows and is not yet compatible with VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader
in Mac OS X. For the latest information regarding Pro Tools accessibility
please contact the Blind Macintosh Users Group at
info@blimug.org.
Macintosh and Music. Most colleges and schools have Apple Macintosh computers in their computer lab. Although Apple's new VoiceOver screen reader, that now comes with all purchased Macintosh computers, is providing access to a wide number of applications, the Macintosh versions of Finale and other music notation programs remain inaccessible to blind people. In schools where the Finale program is used, we recommend that blind students do their work on their Windows computers using Lime or Sibelius. All the software, either directly or through the use of plugins, can read and save files in a standard format called XML. This makes it possible for blind students to read files teachers have generated using Finale, and for students to share the files they have created on their Windows machines with others. Information about the methods of sharing files can be found on the Dancing Dots Web site.
With any of the above mentioned software, please feel free to call the Resource Center, especially with regard to its use by students.
1. Locating music in braille or large-print. A student can log onto the web site of the Library of Congress and several other agencies to see whether a particular piece has been transcribed. The student can then request that it be sent in the mail, and in many cases, download it from a web site. The Library of Congress has several hundred braille music scores on its Web-braille site, which may be downloaded into a Braille Lite or Braille Note or embossed as hardcopy.
2. A student needs a short piano score, band part or choral part in Braille for a class next week. Using a braille music translation system, a teacher can scan or input music into the computer. Later, it can be translated into Braille. The braille copy may be embossed on a Braille printer at the school or E-mailed to the student for reading on a Braille notetaker.
3. In a chorus rehearsal situation, a conductor often tell musicians to write small changes into their parts for how a certain passage is to be sung. If a blind member has the material on a braille notetaker, corrections can be inserted easily.
4. A student needs to take down music from dictation in a sight reading or theory class. A blind student with a braille notetaker can write down the music and refer to it in the rest of the class.
5. A high school or college student is given a theory assignment that must be submitted to his teacher in print. Lime software with Lime Aloud scripts for JAWS is probably the best solution for general work. Sibelius with sibelius speaking can be used for highly more sophisticated work. If the student has Cakewalk Sonar and no annotation software, the step record feature can be used to produce satisfactory print for beginning theory.
6. A child or adult wants to compose or arrange multi-track music. Sonar, used in combination with JAWS for Windows and CakeTalking for Sonar makes all this possible. People of all ages can record music from a synthesizer keyboard and add audio parts, edit all tracks and produce a finished composition.
7. A student with low vision cannot see music in large print or play his instrument in front of a closed circuit magnification device. Music can be entered onto a portable computer, and displayed on a flat screen placed on the music stand. Using afoot switch, the student can bring up the next series of measures while playing.
8. Online support from organizations and fellow users. There are several Internet mailing lists frequented by students, parents, teachers and professional musicians, who share resources and the benefit of their experience. These include Braillem, the Dancing dots listservs, Midi-mag, and the Web site and listserv for members of MENVI, the Music Education Network for the Visually Impaired. Many technology companies have Web sites and E-mail addresses for technical support.
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January 20, 2006
To whom it concerns:
This letter is in support of the National Resource Center for Blind
Musicians and its Director, Mr. David Goldstein.
As Co-director of the Braille Music Division of Southern California
Conservatory of Music, I also serve as Music Specialist for California
Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped (CTEVH). In
addition, I currently serve on the Music Committee for National Braille
Association. I am certified by The Library of Congress in literary and music
braille transcription, as well as in literary proofreading.
The work at the Resource Center and MACH is of the utmost importance for the
upward trend in academic and music literacy among blind students and
musicians. At a time when the need for braille literacy in general has been
struggling for public support, the demand for braille music skills and
teacher training is rising dramatically. With an approximate 70% of blind
people in America being unemployed, an article in the Los Angeles Times
pointed out that nine-out-of ten of those who do have jobs, do read braille.
Qualified career teachers for braille music pedagogy are nearly
non-existent, and there are so very few certified music transcribers in the
United States. Mr. Goldstein's program has very effectively begun to turn
the tide toward awareness, teacher training, and computer music skills
needed for blind musicians to take their place among the literate. With the
new awareness of music skills and training becoming a desirable entity in
careers other than performing and directly related areas, new possibilities
for independence and employment for blind individuals is rapidly emerging.
SCCM presented with California State University at Northridge, Center on
Disabilities, regarding varied career options for blind music students in
March of 2006.
I highly support and commend the work that Mr. Goldstein is doing to raise
the standards in our field, and for his enormous contribution to
independence and the education of musically motivated blind individuals.
Sincerely,
Richard Taesch
SCCM Braille Music Division -
www.sccm.us
MENVI Headquarters -
www.menvi.org
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