[Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Tue Feb 21 16:03:28 EST 2012

Sonja:

Just remember not everyone will act like the old guys you describe here!  It's upsetting to me, too.  Plus, it upsets me when I hear about bad theory teaching.  Whatever the subject is, you want to find a good teacher and not feel stuck with a bad one.  If it's any comfort, there are plenty of sighted students who arrive in college and realize they haven't gotten training in one thing or another.  For vocalists, sometimes they arrive not even being able to read music, which is similar to not being able to read braille music!  They just have to catch up and persevere.  It sometimes takes longer to reach the final goal, but that's ok.  I attended three different undergrad institutions and three different grad schools.  I was in college for more than 10 years!  But I ended up doing what I was meant to do.  The extra years and detours were worth it.  It sounds like Brandon has some great people on his side, so I wish him well!

Jeff G
________________________________________
From: menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org [menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] on behalf of Sonja Biggs [sbiggs at vistacenter.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:45 PM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Thank you, Jeff. This year he has applied to UC Santa Cruz, Cal State East Bay (where his current voice teacher teaches), and University of the Pacific. His mentor graduated from the University of the Pacific and highly recommends it to him. She is an opera singer here in the Bay area who has taken Brandon under her wing. Brandon now studies with her voice instructor, Pamela Hicks, who teaches at Cal State East Bay. Pamela has been good for Brandon in taking him further in his voice development. Brandon's first choice is the University of the Pacific. His second choice is UC Santa Cruz (there is a blind voice instructor there), and then Cal State East Bay. We are waiting to hear from those schools. He has auditioned at University of the Pacific and UC Santa Cruz already. His audition for Cal State East Bay is this coming Friday. He has been accepted into the general university of Cal State East Bay (waiting to do the audition and find out about the opera program), invited to join the opera program at UC Santa Cruz (waiting to find out the general acceptance into the university), and waiting for both acceptances from University of the Pacific (hopefully we will know by March 1). Everyone we met at UoP was exceptional from the disability coordinator to the professors. We have visited there three times already.

I think with the help of this listserve, Brandon has been given some really good ideas for approaching his current music theory teacher. His disability coordinator is really good about doing what she can to help him. The department at Foothill is in a bit of a flux right now since the director of the disability center just retired in the middle of the year leaving everyone in the department rather short-handed and disorganized. I didn't know until I started reading these posts that he did not have the theory book used in the class in braille. I thought he had everything he needed.

A few of the conservatories he applied to last year would not provide feedback. His weak point was his lack of knowledge of braille music and music theory. I observed the professors (older men in their 70's and 80's) that were judging at the auditions and noticed that as soon as they saw Brandon's cane, their faces became stone cold and their demeanor changed to be condescending before they even listened to him. It was very visable and my heart sank as I realized they had already written him off even before listening to him perform. Afterward I joked that if it had been older women in their 70's and 80's Brandon would have been admitted immediately. For some reason, older women just love him! It is going to be a long, hard road for Brandon in overcoming the prejudices toward blind performers. I am thankful that many times he cannot see the hard lines that develop on the faces of those who harbor prejudice against blindness. It is so very visable and recognizable. I am constantly biting my tongue and reminding myself to be professional and pleasant to these people since Brandon may have to interact with them again sometime in his musical career. He is always polite and sweet no matter how these people treat him. I know people who are blind hate to be called amazing, but in my eyes, he is amazing. He perserveres and does not give up. He has a great attitude, is polite, and strives to be the best he can be. He works hard and meets adversity head on without letting it get him down emotionally. I don't know that I could be as strong as he is in the same situation. I respect and love my son even more for the kind of person he is. He makes me a proud parent, to say the least.

Thank you again, Jeff. Your comments are appreciated. I have learned so much just from reading the posts on this listserve.

Sonja Biggs, MA, TVI, COMS
Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107
Palo Alto, CA  94306
650-833-9766

"Dream the impossible dream...then live it!" --Brandon Keith Biggs, Age 19, Blind Performer, LCA-CRB1

NOTE:  Confidential.  This FAX/Email and any attachments are private and are intended only for the use of the addressee(s), may contain privileged and/or confidential information.  If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that the use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this FAX/Email and/or the attachments is strictly prohibited and in violation of the Federal Law (HIPAA).
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From: menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org [menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of Gillespie, Jeffrey [jgillesp at butler.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:55 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Hi:

I'm a college music theory professor, sighted.  I'm sorry about what you all have gone through. My advice would be to find a music theory tutor in your area.  Often universities are able to hook students up with tutors.  I'm just trying to think of a way to bypass this bad theory course Brandon is currently in.  To be honest, the problem with that class is the poor teaching, period.

I'm also curious about the schools that Brandon was not accepted at.  You mention five conservatories back east.  My opinion is that it's good to apply to a variety of institutions - not just conservatories.  I teach at a liberal arts university with a top-notch school of music.  Indiana University is close by and they do a great job with accessibility for blind music students.  They recently had a student complete his entire music degree there, and he received all sorts of accommodations and help.  That is not a conservatory, but it's one of the top 2-3 music schools in the country.  I believe you need some good advice form someone on which schools to apply.

Many colleges (including mine) offer a remedial theory course for any music students admitted who have had no music theory at all prior to college.  They aren't denied admission because of any deficiency in music theory.  They just get caught up when they get here.

Did you get feedback from these schools regarding exactly why Brandon wasn't accepted?  That would be important as well.

Jeff Gillespie
Butler University
Indianapolis, IN
________________________________________
From: menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org [menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] on behalf of Sonja Biggs [sbiggs at vistacenter.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 1:23 PM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Brandon has been seriously dedicated to learning music since the age of 14. He just turned 20.  Unfortunately, he has always had to find out for himself how to do it. When he was in highschool, even though I asked for it in the IEP, he was refused braille music instruction on the basis that there was no one that could teach it and the other students in choir weren't learning it. When we moved to CA, it was still denied on his IEP by the district because there was no one in the Santa Clara County of Education Visually Impaired Program that could teach it. All of this made me very angry, as a parent, but I did not know what to do either. I had never heard of MENVI and had only barely heard of Dancing Dots. We discovered only last year about this listserve, got the Dancing Dots programs for Brandon, and met Grant H. and Ayaka at CTEBVI. Brandon has taught himself braille music through the Dancing Dot materials in the last year when we finally found out what was available. He has been basically teaching himself music theory until this school year by reading books on his own. We were really hoping this theory class would be what he needed. But it is not. Neither of his parents are musical. We have tried our best to provide for him, but it has been difficult to learn what is available and then getting him what he needs. Now, it breaks my heart to hear that he is  not really learning what is important in his music theory class. I copied a sample theory placement test and had him take that to his teacher so at least those concepts would be addressed. I am thankful for Betty Downing transcribing the music for him. If it wasn't for this list, we would have never found her. Brandon learns so quickly and is so focused and dedicated. It was crushing for us to spend $3000 last year for applications, auditions, and traveling to 5 conservatories back east, only to be denied to all five. We knew that his best instruction would come from a conservatory. However, his lack of instruction in braille music and music theory really hurt him. He has focused heavily this year on filling in that gap in his education. We are praying he gets admitted to the University of the Pacific where he can really learn all that is necessary to learn about music. He is very gifted and to see him struggle to get the education he deserves and needs is gut wrenching to me. Perhaps you have heard this hundreds of times about other students. I just wish that there was a way we could make it more known how to have an accessible music education so other students don't have to go through the heartache that our family has.

Sonja Biggs, MA, TVI, COMS
Vista Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107
Palo Alto, CA  94306
650-833-9766

"Dream the impossible dream...then live it!" --Brandon Keith Biggs, Age 19, Blind Performer, LCA-CRB1

NOTE:  Confidential.  This FAX/Email and any attachments are private and are intended only for the use of the addressee(s), may contain privileged and/or confidential information.  If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that the use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this FAX/Email and/or the attachments is strictly prohibited and in violation of the Federal Law (HIPAA).
________________________________________
From: menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org [menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of Brandon Keith Biggs [brandonboy13 at comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 8:47 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Hello,
I auditioned for 5 conservatories last year and didn't get into any of them.
This year I've auditioned for 3 and I'm partially in 2 and I'm waiting on
the 3rd. The reason why I went to a community College first was because I
wanted to start college early and I wanted to make sure I knew without a
doubt that music was the path I wanted to go. I've been at this college for
4 years and it was a year ago that I finally started the music path, so I
need this class and the same class next quarter to graduate. I had a feeling
this would happen last year, but being rejected from every conservatory kind
of put a damper on my high expectations.
I'm applying to University of the Pacific this year and I'm waiting to hear
in March if I got in. (I'm having nightmares of getting a rejection letter
from them!)
I'm also applying to UCSC and CSU Eastbay in CA as backup and I'm partially
in both of those.
I'm kind of frantic to get out of this college...
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Smart
Sent: Friday, February 17, 2012 8:09 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Suggestions for expediting assignments.

Brandon, can I ask something? Feel free to tell me if I'm totally
off the mark here. But, if you're so kean on music, and fairly
knowledgeable already, why aren't you enrolled in a good music
program somewhere? It sounds like you may be wasting your time in
this class.
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