Updated 3/1/2011
Braille Music is a form of the 6-dot braille code. It was invented by Louis Braille at the same time he devised the alphabet. A page of music in braille Looks similar to a page of text, rather than a music staff. The code provides all the information a sighted person gets from a page of print music. It allows blind students, from elementary school on, to participate fully in music class activities, read and work through piano, band, or choral parts, study music theory, take sight-singing classes and analyze music scores.
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, e-mail nlsm@loc.govMaterials may be located quickly using the general online catalog at http://www.loc.gov.nls Circulars and other information can be found on the Music Section's own web site, http://www.loc.gov/nls/music Besides braille music scores, the Music Section has instructional materials in recorded form and also a large-print music collection. 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 forms are available through the network libraries, or one may contact the Music Section directly. All materials are available by mail. Almost four thousand of these are available for download through the Web-Braille system. These electronic versions are in a braille file format that can be read on a braille display or printed out on an embosser.
Braille music is produced by transcribers working independently or through agencies, which provide music on loan or for purchase. A database listing most agencies' holdings is The Louis catalog, run by the American Printing House at
Arranging to have music that is not already available put into braille usually involves locating a certified transcriber who has the time to take on the assignment. Ideally, a student or school should build a relationship with a transcriber, who can prepare materials the school can provide in advance. Lists of transcribers may be found on the Music Section's web site http://www.loc.gov/nls/music also that of the National Braille Association, http://nationalbraille.org 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.
Braille translation software makes 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 Translator 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 translated into braille. Once the music has been translated, the braille output can be embossed or E-mailed to the student. It is recommended that people doing this type of work have training, as one need to know how to avoid pitfalls that could affect the readability of the output.
At this time, the process of scanning and editing 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 braille is to download MIDI, MusicXML or PDF files from public sites on the Internet and make the conversion using the Dancing Dots programs and other software. Again, results will vary depending on the nature of the files and type of music.
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. Beyond that, such considerations of how and when the code should be learned--whether separately or along with an instrument, or after lessons in the instrument have begun--will depend on many circumstances, including the students' needs and preferences, the amount of time available, and whether lessons are being taught by a teacher cognizant of the system or a general piano or instrumental teacher.
At the moment, there is no official braille music correspondence course for blind adult learners, however several organizations and individuals make themselves available to teach individuals, one-on-one, by phone or online using Skype voicechat software. The National Resource Center may be able to customize a program, especially if the goal is for preparing for college music study. See our Resource List page for more information.
We often mostly from piano teachers, who find suddenly that they will be working with a blind student. For those of you in that situation and others, please be assured that help is available from many sources, including our Center. Piano teachers will be happy to know that several of the method books, such as the Alfred and Bastien series, are available in braille, on loan from the Library of Congress. These must be borrowed in the student's name. However, before jumping into those books, it is a good idea for the student to learn at least the rudiments of the braille music code from books designed to teach it. Several are available. They range from simple introductions to a full course in braille and print from Dancing Dots. All the books are available on loan from the Music Section. When ordering, you can request a copy both in braille and in print, so the teacher will have what the student is reading. The print editions must be borrowed in the student's name. As a general introduction, we highly recommend "Who's Afraid of Braille music" by Richard Taesch and William McCann, and "how To Read Braille Music" by Bettye Krolick. These may be purchased from Dancing Dots and National Braille Press. If a teacher is ready to put a lot of time into working with the student on the elements of the braille music code, then the Dancing Dots courses, in two parts, may be ideal. A staple we use, and from which generations of students have learned, is the Primer of Braille Music by Edward Jenkins, available on loan from the Music Section or for purchase from the American Printing house for the Blind, http://www.aph.org None of the books require that the teacher know braille, though it helps to have a thorough understanding of how the braille code differs from print music.
Another thing music teachers with beginning students should keep in mind is that there are many activities they can do with a blind child before working on the braille reading itself. It is essential for the student to understand and be fluent with the the fundamentals of music, including distinguishing rhythmic values in patterns. It is recommended that students know the note names as letters, number in the scale, and solfege names, and start recognizing intervals. The introductory books outline some exercises, but the teacher can be assured he or she can fill the early lessons with plenty of activities just by drawing upon common sense and creativity.
The National Resource Center is best at answering questions relating to college music study, since most of our experience has been with the challenges of people in that age range. We can often connect people with students of past Summer Institutes or teachers from that program, or others who have contacted us who have expertise in a particular area.
There are number of groups that are glad to help with music education and beyond. One of the best sources of information and help for students, teachers, and musicians of all ages and abilities is the Music Education Network for the Visually Impaired, MENVI, http://www.menvi.org A free membership organization stemming from the work of the Braille Music Division of the southern California Conservatory of Music, it connects members with an advisory committee of experts in the field, has a membership directory, and a discussion listserv. The listserv is particularly useful. Discussions range from teaching to how to deal with such challenges as studying choral conducting or performing in an ensemble.There are several other listservs discussing music issues, some related to the blindness consumer organizations, as well as private endeavors. One popular list is Braillem, that discusses braille music issues. One called Midimag deals with technological developments. Dancing Dots has two lists for users of its products and courses. See our Resources page for subscription information.
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 print 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.The GOODFEEL system is often purchased by schools and colleges, allowing for certain materials to be prepared on-site. Teachers and transcribers, who need for school systems that use the popular program, Finale, teachers can export Finale files into a format called MusicXML, which can then be read by Lime and brailled with GOODFEEL. Contact Dancing Dots directly to learn about the various options and prices.
Another notation program popular in the schools and used in the music publishing industry is Sibelius. The current version of Sibelius being sold is version 6. A system for access to version 3.3, called Sibelius Speaking, has been discontinued. Free scripts are available at this time for Sibelius Version 5, with work being done to make version 6 accessible. These scripts require a large learning curve and we have not explored them thoroughly.
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.
In schools where Finale or Sibelius are used, we recommend that blind students do their work on their Windows computers. Use of Sibelius may bedcome more practical as 0work on access scripts continues. For now, we recommend these only for those who are advanced with computers and who have teachers willing to work along with them. The easiest solution right now is to use Lime Aloud from Dancing Dots, which is part of the GOODFEEL package. Students can write, revise, and print out music assignments directly, using the Lime Notation editor in the Dancing Dots GOODFEEL software suite. If the teacher wants the music as a computer file, the student can export the project created with Lime into a standard file format called MusicXML, which the teacher can then import into Finale or Sibelius. For the situation where a teacher has prepared music handouts on the computer for distribution to the class in print, the blind student can ask the teacher to provide these files in MusicXML. Newer versions of Finale have the ability to export files into MusicXML, which the student can read with Lime on his own computer. If the school uses Sibelius or an older version of finale that lack this export feature, plug-ins are available to make the conversion possible. Information about the methods of sharing files can be found on the Dancing Dots Web site.
The same holds true in the area of sound editing. Using one or more programs including SONAR with CakeTalking, Sound Forge, GoldWave, and other sound editors a student or professional can achieve the same results as with Protools, and files may be exchanged.
With any of the above-mentioned software, please feel free to call the Resource Center, especially with regard to its use by students.
The recording program, Pro Tools is now very usable with the Macintosh. Work continues to improve its accessibility further. There is an email list for users at google groups. To subscribe, send a blank email to ptaccess+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
Regarding the Macintosh itself, which many music schools require their students to use, Apple's commendable work of including the built-in screen reader, Voiceover, allows the use of common applications and access to music programs is slowly coming along. We know that Garage Band and Pro Tools can be used. . The National Resource Center is as yet not involved with Macintosh accessibility issues. Those who want to stay updated on the ongoing work of blind musicians in this area are invited to inquire about listservs and other activities at info@blimug.org.
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