[Menvi-discuss] Ideas for getting buy-in from students to learn braille music

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi, everyone, 

I'm asking on behalf of an acquaintance of mine about how to best promote braille music. This acquaintance and I have been members of the same choir for about 2 years. She is a choir director at a local high school and she approached me a few weeks ago with questions about braille music, as she has a blind student in her freshman choir class. Currently the student gets lyrics in literary braille, but does not have braille music. The educator was concerned the student was not actually getting adequate music education as she wasn't doing anything related to rhythms, pitches, etc. For instance, she said she didn't know what to do when the class was writing in solfege for one of their pieces, and in conversation with the student to try to find an alternative the student said it had never been necessary and they didn't know a way to do it. The educator has seen me at choir rehearsals using the braille music for our rep for 2 years, so they know it gives musical information even if the ins and outs are new to them. They recognize the value of a blind student learning braille music, and I appreciate that they want to make sure this student gets the same quality of a choir experience and learning that the sighted students get. 

I've shared a ton of resources I have with the teacher and we are also working on finding a day when I may be able to come to that class at her school when my own school obligations will allow per the teacher's idea. I also encouraged her to reach out to the student's TBVI to make the connection and see if the TBVI has any familiarity with braille music, though I have told her that often this isn't the case. 

I've taught braille music mostly in a summer intensive program setting, but I have also seen kids struggle to buy into braille music especially when it's taught to them late. I have explained to parents and teachers that it's like expecting a kid who has never learned to read before to just read Shakespeare because that's what they're capable of speaking, even though they're at the level of reading See Spot Run. I understand how frustrating that can be, especially because I didn't start learning braille music until I was in 8th grade. But I still am lacking any really successful ways to boost buy-in from students to help get them over that hump myself. I'd love to be able to share ideas with this educator who is trying to do right by this student. Any ideas would be appreciated. 

All the best,
Kaiti Shelton, MS, MT-BC 
Music Therapist-Board Certified
https://www.credly.com/badges/ac95f05b-e4be-41fe-9e82-7300318d6685/public_url
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