My new project
My new project is to try and devise a relatively simple way of notating music in braille.
My supportee (who is blind and a fluent braille reader) plays the keyboard. She has a class once a week, and I try and do some practice with her too, though because of time constraints this only happens rarely. Because she has no written form of the music she learns, she is completely dependent on instruction and on her memory of instruction, which is naturally not completely accurate. She is very diligent about practising every day, but isn't necessarily practising things right - and of course reinforcing something that is wrong through practice is worse than not practising at all.
So I've been thinking for some time that it would be really good for her to have her music in a written form that is usable to her. Now there is an existing system of braille music notation, but it is quite complex and uses braille characters in completely unfamiliar and, I think, counter-intuitive ways. I can appreciate that in order to fully replicate what you get in standard printed music, the braille system is going to have to be pretty complicated. But I don't really see it working for us in practice. It would take an enormous amount of time and commitment on both our parts for her to learn and become familiar with it. (I should add that she also has mild learning difficulties. Her ability to concentrate, in particular, is not so great. Also she has strong resistance to the unfamiliar.)
So I have decided that what would be ideal would be a simpler, more intuitive system. It will not provide all the information that standard printed music gives - learning a new piece will still require input on the part of her teacher and (time permitting) myself. But she will have something to refer to when she is practising alone, which will hopefully keep her more on the right track.
I would like nothing better at this point than to explain the system (as I have developed it so far) in all its detail, but I don't know if any of you would have an interest in it. Any musicians out there? Any musicians who are also familiar with braille? (Unlikely, I know!)
My supportee (who is blind and a fluent braille reader) plays the keyboard. She has a class once a week, and I try and do some practice with her too, though because of time constraints this only happens rarely. Because she has no written form of the music she learns, she is completely dependent on instruction and on her memory of instruction, which is naturally not completely accurate. She is very diligent about practising every day, but isn't necessarily practising things right - and of course reinforcing something that is wrong through practice is worse than not practising at all.
So I've been thinking for some time that it would be really good for her to have her music in a written form that is usable to her. Now there is an existing system of braille music notation, but it is quite complex and uses braille characters in completely unfamiliar and, I think, counter-intuitive ways. I can appreciate that in order to fully replicate what you get in standard printed music, the braille system is going to have to be pretty complicated. But I don't really see it working for us in practice. It would take an enormous amount of time and commitment on both our parts for her to learn and become familiar with it. (I should add that she also has mild learning difficulties. Her ability to concentrate, in particular, is not so great. Also she has strong resistance to the unfamiliar.)
So I have decided that what would be ideal would be a simpler, more intuitive system. It will not provide all the information that standard printed music gives - learning a new piece will still require input on the part of her teacher and (time permitting) myself. But she will have something to refer to when she is practising alone, which will hopefully keep her more on the right track.
I would like nothing better at this point than to explain the system (as I have developed it so far) in all its detail, but I don't know if any of you would have an interest in it. Any musicians out there? Any musicians who are also familiar with braille? (Unlikely, I know!)