[Menvi-discuss] My first Braille music student--helpful hints, please?

[Jeanie Willis]

Hi,

I have decades of teaching experience but am new to Braille music.  However,
learning it myself last year I just wanted to share one thought that might
be of use.

Just as others have mentioned I made a conscious point to in no way think of
the literary names of the notes as I learnt them and really focusssed on
drilling in the top 4 dots for the letter names as being quite separate in
my thinking from the bottom part.

One thing I found really helpful was to think of the pattern they made in
relation to the black keys on the piano and you could even put a Braille
label on each key to help to consolidate this.  Just the way that there are
two blocks of patterns.  The first in front of the 2 black keys seemed to me
to be like two brackets facing outwards with a forward slash in between.
The F being a complete filled in square of the 4 dots seemed to make sense
for the blank spot where there is a gap in the piano keys between the two
blocks of black keys and then the 2nd block being like an upside down
version of those brackets, this time facing inwards, with a back slash
inbetween for G A B.  I found that every time I needed to job my memory I
just thought of those patterns and where they are on the keys and then
related that back to the keyboard letter rather than the alphabet Braille
letter.

Hope that makes some sense and I have explained it well enough, but I am a
very tactile and pattern learner so that physical relation to the shapes of
the keyboard and the Braille shapes in those two blocks worked for me.

Jeanie

-----Original Message-----
From: Menvi-discuss On Behalf Of Julie McGinnity via Menvi-discuss
Sent: Monday, 20 February 2023 2:02 PM
To: This is for discussing music and braille literacy
<menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
Cc: Julie McGinnity <kaybaycar at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Menvi-discuss] My first Braille music student--helpful hints,
please?

Hi Kimberly,

I've taught Braille music to a couple students now, and it can seem daunting
at first, but it's really a lot of fun. I absolutely agree with Bill. My
rule is no contractions or references to literary Braille at all. You can
use solfege or even the note names at first, depending on the student.

Nothing beats the Braille music Primmer. It's old, but it covers the basics
better than any book I've found, especially because it also includes some
exercises and examples.

I agree that knowing what instrument your student plays or if he sings will
help you tailor your lessons to him. I have a student now who sings and is
learning a little piano, so we do a lot of sight reading exercises, and I've
worked on the finger signs and how the hands are laid out in piano music.

I also tended to write up my own exercises for students. It takes some time
because I like to have my own copy. So I write up exercises and then copy
them. This will be much easier if you have a set up with Lime and GoodFeel
and can just emboss two copies. But hand Brailling works as well. It doesn't
take long to Braille up easy assignments. I created my own cheat sheets too,
and I would put them in a binder for the student along with any exercises I
wanted them to work on. I think this really helps them stay organized.

Hope any of this helps.

Julie

On 2/18/23, Bill McCann via Menvi-discuss <menvi-discuss at menvi.org> wrote:
> Hi Kimberly,
>
> Congratulations on taking on this teaching assignment.  I am going to 
> bet that you will find it easier than anticipated.
>
> Richard Taesch and I (as well as many other teachers of braille music) 
> recommend that the student should learn the solfeggio names of the 
> notes at first.  For example, referring to the note which we English 
> speakers call C as do (pronounced dough) enables the student to avoid 
> confusion between literary braille and music braille.  When I teach a 
> new braille music student, I insist that he or she never refer to a 
> braille music sign by its literary name.  For example, they must never 
> call dots 1-4-5-6 "this."  They must call it DO (like dough) quarter-note.
> Richard Taesch and I wrote a book called "Who's Afraid of Braille Music?"
> which teaches the basics of the braille music code while explaining 
> how music braille differs from print music and dispels misconceptions 
> about the code such as the misguided notion that the braille system is 
> extremely difficult to learn.  A good starter book appropriate for 
> beginner braille music readers, their teachers and parents.
>
> Richard has also written an extensive, multi-volume series called "An 
> Introduction to Music for the Blind Student" which comes in both print 
> and braille hardcopy.
>
> Here are links to pages giving more information about Richard's 
> courses and the "Who's Afraid" book:
> www.DancingDots.com/prodesc/currdet.htm<http://www.DancingDots.com/pro
> desc/currdet.htm>
> and
> www.DancingDots.com/prodesc/whosafraid.htm<http://www.DancingDots.com/
> prodesc/whosafraid.htm>
>
>
> Bill McCann, President, Dancing Dots
> Visit our YouTube page:
> www.youtube.com/DancingDotsAccess<http://www.youtube.com/DancingDotsAc
> cess>
>
>
> From: Menvi-discuss <menvi-discuss-bounces at menvi.org> On Behalf Of 
> Kimberly Morrow via Menvi-discuss
> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 8:35 PM
> To: menvi-discuss at menvi.org
> Cc: drkimctvi at gmail.com
> Subject: [Menvi-discuss] My first Braille music student--helpful 
> hints, please?
>
> Greetings, MENVI listers!
>
> I'm reaching out for any advice that all of you more knowledgeable 
> Braille music readers and transcribers may be in a position to provide. .
.
>
> I've been a Braille music reader for many years, but never dreamed I 
> would be in a position to actually teach it. After all, my primary 
> area of expertise is German, Spanish, and education. I do not hold any 
> type of degree in music, certainly my knowledge of anything more than 
> rudimentary music theory is quite limited at this point. That said, 
> sadly, there are no Braille music instructors in my area that are 
> available to provide weekly instruction to this very bright 
> 11-year-old. So I'm stepping up to the plate. This child is totally 
> blind, very intelligent, and eager to learn. I want to do all I can to 
> make Braille music a good experience for him. I've ordered Happy 
> Fingers, Books 1 and 2, and just ordered the 2006 version of 
> Dictionary of Braille Music Signs via Braille on demand. I figure I 
> should have a newer edition than the one I acquired at age fourteen. . 
> But I don't know the first thing about actual Braille music instruction.
Please help me give the very best. . .All advice is very much appreciated.
>
> Braille music literacy is on the decline. It's a concern I intend to 
> address, one young life at a time.
>
>
> GO, CHIEFS!!!
>
> Kimberly Morrow in metro KC
>
>


--
Julie A. McGinnity
MM Vocal Performance, 2015; American University Washington College of Law,
JD Candidate 2023

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