[Menvi-discuss] Note reading

Wed Jan 16 13:08:48 EST 2013

Dear Ms. Walker,

Here's a quote from an interview Laurie Rubin gave to the Wall Street
Journal blog:

"There is braille notation, but I don't tend to use it. I came to braille
music very late. The thing that I don't like is that it's so linear, and
you're taking in everything piecemeal. A sighted person can look at a whole
score and they can see where it's going. When you're looking at braille
music, it's note by note by note. It just gives me the willies. It's like
putting thread through a needle. It's painstaking. I do most everything by
ear."

So Miss Rubin would not seem to be a valuable source of encouragement on the
topic of note-reading in braille.  One excellent singer who completely
understands how braille music works and how to integrate it into her own
work is Jessica Bachicha.  I am not sure if she is a subscriber on this
MENVI listserv but I am sure that she is a member.  You should be able to
find her listed in the MENVI directory.  In addition, there are numerous
subscribers here who know a great deal about the subject as many of us are
blind musicians who have used braille music for a long time.  That is, you
have come to the right place to ask.  J

An observation on Rubin's quote: yes, "A sighted person can look at a whole
score and they can see where it's going" and a sighted person can also look
down the road while driving a car and see things like traffic signals and
roadblocks.  The sense of sight allows people who have it to perceive
objects without having to touch them.  The human eye can zoom in and zoom
out.  The medium of print music notation matches the visual capabilities of
sighted people fairly well.  

But so what?  If we cannot see, we must find another way.  Certainly
learning by ear is a coping strategy which I have used myself when braille
scores were not available.  But learning by ear can remove us from the
source of the information because we end up mimicking the interpretation of
whoever read that score and realized it.  

Louis Braille designed his ingenious music system to match how blind people
perceive information by touch.  In a sense, we are always zoomed in to the
braille character that fits beneath the tip of a finger.   The medium of
braille notation is well suited to how blind people acquire information
tactually.  Linear presentation delivers information in a logical
progression.  The order of braille music signs supports memorization. Blind
vocalists can actually read while singing but instrumentalists must memorize
the score before performing it. 

Just as sighted musicians must synthesize score information into an internal
picture of the score, so too must we blind musicians.  We all must
internalize the music before we can competently perform or analyze it.  In
other words, our brains must understand the music.  Print and braille music
notation are just different methods to deliver the information to our
brains.   

Bill McCann

President

Dancing Dots Braille Music Technology, L.P.

www.DancingDots.com

Tel:  610-783-6692

From: Menvi-discuss [mailto:menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of
Mary A. Walker
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 8:51 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: [Menvi-discuss] Note reading

Hello Everyone!

I am an elementary general and choral music teacher interested in learning
how to read braille music.  I have two questions.  

1.  Do you have any course recommendations for braille music and/or teaching
music to the visually impaired?  My colleague recommended the Hadley School
for the Blind online course. 

2.  In what context do students typically learn to read braille music?  From
a private music teacher?  A TVI?  Or a public school music teacher?  I
recently read Laurie Rubin's book, hoping to gain insight into how to best
support note reading in the classroom setting.  It was a great book but she
did not go into specifics related to note reading.  

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!  

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mary A. Walker

School #3 Music Teacher

Oceanside School District

  _____  

From: Menvi-discuss [menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org] On Behalf Of Timothy
Clark Music [timothyclarkmusic at me.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 3:10 AM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
Subject: [Menvi-discuss] Fwd: [Members] I have four magic questions for
you...

Timothy  

 Your friend in the music industry 

 http://www.timothyclarkmusic.tumblr.com 

 7244011224

Begin forwarded message:

From: **Chris Rockett** <contact at promoteyourmusic.net>

Subject: [Members] I have four magic questions for you...

Date: January 13, 2013 12:21:20 AM EST

To: Timothy Clark Music <timothyclarkmusic at me.com>

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to share a few questions I've started asking myself

every morning to stay on track...think they will help you too.

Here goes...

1) What five things must I do today to move my music career

forward?

2) Who do I need to speak to today who can help me 

on the journey?

3) Who have I already reached out to and need to follow up with?

4) What are the main things I must complete today,

no matter what? (Do this stuff first)

That's it!

Try and hold off looking in your email inbox until you have got the

most important things done, because your email will usually be full of a

bunch of stuff that other people want you to do and you suddenly 

have no time left for yourself.

I'd love to hear some of your answers.

- Chris

--------------------------------

Founder of Music Marketing Classroom
<http://www.musicmarketingclassroom.com/classroom-explained/?awt_l=DsXjo&awt
_m=3sOwL0PKnkscdOy> 

.

Flat 6 109 Warhouse Rd, London, SW8 9EP, UNITED KINGDOM
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