[Menvi-discuss] Sight-reading

[Brandon Keith Biggs]

Hello,
It is one of my dreams to be able to create a conductor's wand that blind musicians can follow. I’m planning on making it through school and gather information on what I’d need to get company's interested in developing a product like this, but so far I haven’t had much success by telling the company's that this wand is crucial in being a professional blind musician. 
I need to get numbers and info on grants and funding to be a little more convincing in my arguments. If anyone knows how many blind musicians graduate from college each year, or how many there are out in the world, or know anything like that it would be very helpful. Perhaps this is something Dancing Dots could do? Because I’m not sure if DD has literally fulfilled the “Dancing” part of their name yet . 

I’m not sure what level of orchestras you play in, but I know in my community theater I’m barely able to convince the musical directors to let me be a part of the chorus because I can’t see the conductor. I’ve talked to the smaller professional Opera houses and they said absolutely not ever as a lead if I can’t follow the conductor.
In the professional orchestras that I’ve sung with and my friends sing with they meet around 4 times before they perform. If I’m able to make it to the big Opera houses like San Francisco I won’t be in rehearsal a day if I want to make an understudy debut. If you can’t follow the conductor you are unprofessional and won’t be hired, especially in the Opera world. The argument against just listening to the music is that because you are behind the pit and about 30-40 feet away from the front row the time it takes the sound to reach your ears, your brain to respond and the sound from your voice to reach the audience you are a half a beet too late. In even the community houses that I am a chorus member for, a half a beet is enough to never get you hired back.
I’m surprised nothing like this has been developed considering its crucial role in a musician's life. 
Thanks,

Brandon Keith Biggs

From: SClark6144 at aol.com 
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 7:55 AM
To: menvi-discuss at menvi.org 
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] Sight-reading

Sometimes you can play with a local group.  Forget the New York Philharmonic.
My student is in college now, and he does not play anymore.

As for following a conductor, the violins have it easy because they can tell what to do by hearing the other violins.  If you played a wind, it would be much harder because they don't run in a pack like the strings.

Also, as a harpist, I practice my parts with recordings, so when I'm practicing, I'm playing without seeing a conductor.  

Some orchestra or band players don't look at the conductor much.  You can tell during rehearsal because when the conductor wants to stop and tell them something, there will be people still playing after he's given the signal to stop, so you know they weren't watching him.

Syl




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