[Menvi-discuss] A Piece I Wrote: The Importance of Making Concert Band Music More Readily Available in Accessible Formats

[Ella Yu]

I definitely agree, thanks for mentioning. Yeah, there are definite
benefits of having notation files for solo literature as well, though it's
of course different.

On Sun, Mar 3, 2024 at 9:16 PM Jeanie Willis via Menvi-discuss <
menvi-discuss at menvi.org> wrote:

> Yes, less of an issue for solo pieces.
>
> But still if a piano piece has been created with music notation software
> and only the resulting Braille file has been kept and then the next student
> who wants it is low vision and wants a modified stave notation, or wants to
> read it with a screen reader then it would have to be redone.
>
> Similarly, if there is an exam piece for cello transcribed and the same
> piece is used another year for violin, only written out up a string it will
> have to be redone from scratch instead of a couple of clicks to transpose a
> 5th.
>
> Vocal solos obviously might be wanted in differing keys and again that
> means a complete redo if only the Braille is available rather than a few
> clicks to change keys, a few more to export and import into translation
> software and then a manual proofing/editing.
>
>
>
> I think it might be time I started broaching this concept locally which
> will be an interesting conversation I’m sure.  Change always comes with
> difficulties and does not fit the current system.
>
>
>
> *From:* Menvi-discuss *On Behalf Of *Ella Yu via Menvi-discuss
> *Sent:* Monday, March 4, 2024 5:38 PM
> *To:* This is for discussing music and braille literacy <
> menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
> *Cc:* Ella Yu <ellaxyu at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [Menvi-discuss] A Piece I Wrote: The Importance of Making
> Concert Band Music More Readily Available in Accessible Formats
>
>
>
> That's a great point, thanks for bringing it up. I agree that the braille
> world needs to realize the value of notation/MusicXML files, especially for
> ensemble music. It's arguably less of a problem for solo instrumental or
> vocal stuff, since there isn't the parts and score issue, but notation
> files do give an auditory option for those who need something instead of /
> in addition to braille music.
>
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 3, 2024 at 8:32 PM Jeanie Willis via Menvi-discuss <
> menvi-discuss at menvi.org> wrote:
>
> Great thoughts Ella,
>
> The only thing I’d add is that it is crazy that currently some
> transcribers use notation software to do their work, but then as is the
> case here in NZ, the blind foundation only keeps and catalogues the
> resulting duxbury file once completed.  The MuseScore file is left with the
> individual transcriber or discarded as just a working tool.  So a full
> score could be done of something here and another person wanting an
> individual part would still be no better off even though that music
> notation file had been created.  Basically the braille world hasn’t grasped
> that these digital files are an accessible format in themselves.  Even more
> so if the person wanting them does not read Braille and just wants to hear
> MuseScore or Lime read out and play each note of their part and examine the
> score that way.
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Menvi-discuss *On Behalf Of *Ella Yu via Menvi-discuss
> *Sent:* Monday, March 4, 2024 4:13 PM
> *To:* Music Education Network for the Visually Impaired Mailing List <
> menvi-discuss at menvi.org>
> *Cc:* Ella Yu <ellaxyu at gmail.com>
> *Subject:* [Menvi-discuss] A Piece I Wrote: The Importance of Making
> Concert Band Music More Readily Available in Accessible Formats
>
>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
>
>
> The following is going to be lengthy, but here me out.
>
>
>
> In light of the recent discussion on creating some kind of repository to
> catalogue/store all accessible music materials that have been transcribed
> worldwide, I would like to share a piece I wrote that highlights the unique
> challenges of dealing with and accessing music for ensembles. The
> objective of this piece is to explain to the DAISY Consortium why the
> concert band world is a good target segment for their publishing outreach
> efforts in the event that they wish to focus in more on a specific target
> audience.
>
>
>
> Before I get to the main article, I would like to pose the following
> question. To those of you who have lots of first hand experience
> participating in ensembles, especially concert/wind band, do you feel that
> what I have said in this piece is accurate? Also, to anyone who plays or
> sings in a large ensemble, do you use websites like musescore.com to get
> at least some of your performance parts in an accessible format? I would
> love to hear your input.
>
>
>
> Now to the main piece.
>
>
> Introduction
>
>
>
> Obtaining accessible sheet music, whether it be in braille, large print,
> or audio, is a constant challenge for all blind and visually impaired (BVI)
> musicians. This is especially true for performance parts for ensemble
> music, such as for orchestra, concert band, choir, and smaller chamber
> ensembles. This is because most libraries for the blind, which houses most
> of the world's accessible sheet music, is concentrated on literature for
> solo instruments, anthologies, and method books. Even if those libraries
> offer ensemble music in braille or large print, it may only offer the full
> score, or it may be a huge stack of full score + all performance parts, or
> worse yet, it may be something like just the first violin part of a string
> quartet and nothing else. This makes it quite challenging for BVI musicians
> to locate performance parts for their ensemble music. As a result, the vast
> majority of BVI musicians who play in band and orchestra or sing in a choir
> has to have someone constantly by their side transcribing their performance
> parts for them. Finding a transcriber to do this kind of work, even someone
> who is just typing up music in notation software, is not easy, which means
> that finding ways for ensemble directors or BVI musicians themselves to
> produce accessible sheet music using software tools becomes especially
> important.
>
>
>
> For the last several years, the DAISY Consortium <http://daisy.org> has
> been working on a project with various stakeholders from around the world
> that is intended to make more sheet music available in braille, large
> print, and other accessible formats. One of their key objectives is to make
> high quality MusicXML files suitable for conversion into accessible formats
> more readily available. In order to make this a reality, one critical step
> that is being taken is consulting with publishers, composers, arrangers,
> and engravers to find a way to make their materials available to a wider
> audience in accessible formats, including MusicXML. You can find out more
> about the DAISY music braille project here <http://daisy.org/musicbraille>
> .
>
>
> Why target concert bands?
>
>
>
> Blind and visually impaired (BVI) musicians participate in music making in
> all its shapes and forms, but one of the most common places for music
> students to be, at least in North America, is the school concert/marching
> band. Over 90% of American schools have a wind band program of some kind,
> which makes it one of the most common places for children and youth to
> receive their first exposure to playing an instrument. The other main
> musical ensembles in the typical American school is the string orchestra
> and the chorus. School choral programs are quite common, but choral
> participation is, to some degree, more doable without musical literacy than
> instrumental ensembles. Orchestral string programs are far less common in
> schools compared to wind band programs.
>
>
>
> Another issue is the musical literature. As a violinist and violist who
> regularly plays in a fairly high level community symphonic orchestra that
> performs standard orchestral literature by composers such as Beethoven,
> Mozart, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, etc, I am able to find a significant portion
> (though not all) of my orchestra music on musescore.com, thanks to their
> public domain status and popularity. Sure, because everything on
> musescore.com is user-created, quality does vary, and the music I have
> may not exactly match that of my section-mates in terms of markings and
> rehearsal letters/numbers, but it is still a significant help.
>
>
>
> On the other hand, the situation for concert bands is very different.
> Unlike symphony orchestras who have a long, established tradition spanning
> several hundred years, the concert band is a relatively new ensemble for
> which the majority of its standard literature has been written in the past
> 50-100 years, putting most of this music well under copyright. Also,
> composers continue to write relatively large quantities of music for
> concert band today. This means that it is very difficult to find
> performance parts for standard concert band literature in accessible
> formats without resorting to getting music individually transcribed by a
> braille music specialist or family/friend, unless the band director happens
> to have notation/MusicXML files of the music that is being learned and
> performed. Yes, musescore.com has quite a bit of sheet music for concert
> band, but the bulk of that sheet music (and this applies to all of
> musescore.com, really) consists of original compositions and arrangements
> done mainly by amateurs, which is not necessarily the material played by
> established ensembles.
>
>
>
> Although many school, youth, and community orchestras play specially made
> modern arrangements and compositions for difficulty reasons, they still
> make up a significantly smaller segment than the wind band world. Although
> woodwind, brass, and percussion players do play in symphony orchestras, it
> is generally easier for string players to get into orchestras compared to
> wind and percussion players simply due to numbers, especially at the youth
> and amateur/community level, which is where the vast majority of musicians
> end up post high school. This means that the vast majority of amateur
> woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians end up in community concert
> bands, rather than symphonic orchestras.
>
>
>
> For all of these reasons, I feel that the DAISY Consortium should consider
> the concert band world to be one important target segment in its efforts to
> make music scores more available to BVI musicians. I must admit that I am
> by no means an expert in the wind band world. My main instruments are
> piano, violin, and viola, but I do have some first hand wind band
> experience, including one year of compulsory beginning band on flute, and
> one year of high school band playing flute and oboe parts on violin. I have
> also spent a lot of time in online communities where there is plenty of
> discussion on school bands, concert bands, and their literature. I have
> also perused several support groups for parents of blind and visually
> impaired children, and I found that school ensemble participation is a very
> common occurrence among BVI children who study music. For reference, here
> is a YouTube video
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm9675YTejs&pp=ygUkbWV0aG9kcyBmb3IgdGVhY2hpbmcgYmxpbmQgbXVzaWNpYW5z>
> of a blind American teenage girl describing her experience participating in
> her high school’s band program. It is a pretty good representation of what
> goes on in the trenches so to speak.
>
>
> Solutions and Challenges
>
>
> 1. Education and awareness
>
> Most ensemble directors should be familiar with popular notation programs
> such as Finale, Sibelius, and MuseScore, as they use these programs for
> various reasons to produce material for their ensembles. If they understand
> that anything created in notation software can be easily used to create
> accessible music in some form, whether it is MusicXML files for conversion
> to braille, modified stave notation for partially sighted musicians, or
> MIDI audio tracks for those learning by ear, they can easily get accessible
> music out to their musicians. Large print music and audio tracks can
> generally be produced with just notation software alone, but the automated
> conversion of printed notation to braille requires an additional piece of
> specialized software. For many years, the GOODFEEL suite byDancing Dots
> <https://www.dancingdots.com/main/goodfeel.htm> has been the standard for
> converting print music to braille, but the rise of the newly created and
> high quality Sao Mai Braille <https://saomaicenter.org/en/smsoft/smb>
> means there is a far more economical (and ironically superior) solution out
> there.
>
>
> 2. The role of publishers, composers/arrangers, engravers, and distributors
>
> Digital sheet music is on the rise. Given the relatively modern status of
> concert bands in particular, I suspect the vast majority of concert band
> literature is out there in a notation software file format of some kind.
> It's just that ensemble directors, who usually purchase the music from
> distributors or publishers, does not get access to those notation files.
> This is totally understandable given copyright concerns. However, with the
> DAISY Consortium working to engage more mainstream music publishers in
> getting MusicXML files out into the world, this issue needs to be discussed.
>
>
>
> One possible solution would be to integrate Sao Mai's music braille
> translation library <https://saomaicenter.org/en/smsoft/sm-music-braille>
> into digital sheet music systems. This is likely difficult to implement
> technically, although the rise of AI could potentially help, but the end
> goal will be that whenever someone buys a piece of sheet music from a
> digital distributor, they will have the option of receiving an
> auto-generated braille music file of either the full score or specified
> performance parts. Although the output will be unproofed, I think this can
> still make a huge difference, though non-standard/complex notation will be
> a problem. These digital distributors should also offer a way to generate
> large print scores at the point of purchase, or incorporate magnification
> features into their interactive sheet music applications.
>
>
>
> Also, Muse Group, who is the parent company of MuseScore, has acquired Hal
> Leonard, one of the world's largest music publishers, especially in the
> educational music space. For one, Hal Leonard has a large concert band
> division. I wonder if there is a meaningful way for musescore.com and the
> Hal Leonard group to make their offerings accessible in a way that can
> enable ensemble directors and BVI musicians themselves to easily acquire
> accessible sheet music.
>
>
> 3. The role of the braille music transcriber
>
> The other issue is the role of specially trained braille music
> transcribers. Most braille music transcribers spend most of their time
> transcribing music on request for specific individuals, which means that
> many may not be meaningfully contributing to the braille music that is
> readily available to the wider public. This becomes especially problematic
> for ensemble music, where most transcribers are working on individual
> performance parts for a scattering of pieces for specific people that ask
> and pay for it. (This is the main reason I find FMDG's online accessible
> music library <https://fmdgmusicschool.org/digital-music-library> to be
> less useful for a wider audience than it could be). Even if there was some
> sort of catalogue of every single thing that is available in braille
> worldwide, I, for one, would still find it very frustrating searching
> through a whole pile of available transcriptions trying to locate the flute
> 1 part for a particular concert band piece, only to discover that yes, the
> piece has been transcribed, but it's only the 2nd trumpet part. Another
> example is when I'm looking for the first violin part for a symphony, only
> to discover that yes, it exists in braille, but only a selection of
> measures have been transcribed, most likely for the purpose of orchestra
> seating auditions. (I will say that audition excerpts are kinda another
> unique situation, but at least if you know what measure(s) the excerpt was
> pulled from, assuming the whole piece is available in an accessible format,
> you may be able to work from the full copy without resorting to getting it
> transcribed just for you).
>
>
>
> In the mainstream music world, much effort is put into keeping all the
> parts and score of an ensemble work as close to each other as possible, and
> while I know this kind of parody is harder to achieve in the braille music
> world, I still find it a huge point of frustration. I just love being able
> to locate full scores of ensemble music in a format that lets me extract
> the performance parts I need on sites like musescore.com, since I can
> rest easy knowing that, say, another BVI musician needs the same piece for
> their ensemble playing but they don't play the instrument I do, the score
> is available for them to extract their part from. I may be a little biased,
> but I just don't love seeing a loose collection of various performance
> parts for different pieces, and none of them have a full score or complete
> set of parts available. Transcribed excerpts and segments of method books
> and anthologies pose a similar problem, but the issues are somewhat
> different, so I won't go into it here.
>
>
>
> Also, most braille music transcribers continue to enter music by hand
> six-key entry style, which, in my opinion, is a huge disadvantage to making
> accessible ensemble music more available to a wider audience. If a
> transcriber goes the six-key entry route to transcribe the full score,
> they'll have the full score, but what if someone wants just the first flute
> part or the second violin part of that orchestra score that was transcribed
> entirely by hand? The transcriber then has to do a lot of extra additional
> work to provide the client with the single part score they want. If, on the
> other hand, the score is in notation software, it is easy to extract the
> part(s) that the client wants, use automated conversion to get a braille
> score, and the braille music specialist can then check it over and fix any
> problems that arise. With this approach, the transcriber can still
> transcribe the full score using automated tools and get a pretty usable
> result to edit further.
>
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