David Goldstein
Menina cega tocando piano e lendo música em braille
-
fotografia de Lewis Hine [1874-1940]
You have just gotten
off the phone with a
parent who will be
bringing a child who is
blind for piano lessons.
You have heard of famous
blind musicians, perhaps
you have even been aware
of an accomplished young
person receiving a
scholarship from an
affiliate of a teacher's
organization you belong
to. Your common sense as
a person and a teacher
tells you that
regardless of whether a
child is sighted or
blind, children are
children. What you know
about the piano and
teaching and encouraging
practice applies to
everyone. You also know
that as different as
each sighted individual
is from another, so, too,
will all blind children
have their individuality.
You can look forward to
being open and creative
in finding best ways for
working together. You
think of the activities
of a lesson-the scales,
the books of pieces,
etc. What can you
expect-demand -- to be the
same? What will be
different? Will you be
able to teach all the
music skills you
normally do, or will you
need help? Is there any
danger of doing
something so completely
wrong that the damage
will be irreparable?
The answer to this
last question is,
probably not. If you
stick to the standards
you have as a teacher,
emphasize posture,
proper fingering and
playing habits, if you
demand that everything
is learned thoroughly
and not played too fast
or carelessly, and, most
of all, if you build on
the child's love of
music and keep a
pleasant atmosphere
where he or she has an
enjoyable time when with
you, then whatever time
you and the child spend
will be time spent well.
This article will
discuss preparing for
the first day and
beginning lessons after
that. We'll then talk
about ideas for
directions you can go
from there, and some
resources. Please know
that you do not need to
feel alone with this.
Even if you are out in
the boondocks, as
thankfully many of you
are to reach children
who happen to live out
there too, you're just a
phone call or e-mail
away from someone with
experience who can help
you along.
For starts, you know
that the child will be
coming with someone.
Treat the child-adult
connection as you
normally would. If it's
a young child, perhaps
you normally have the
parent come into the
inner sanctum for the
first day. If the child
is older and appears
comfortable, you can, if
it feels right to you,
maintain the usual
practice of letting the
parent wait in the
waiting area and start
your exploration
expedition.
Be aware of
sighted guide
techniques.
Normally,
the blind child holds
onto your elbow (or
forearm if very small),
and walks behind you. If
there are tight
squeezes, or a piano
cover corner jutting
out, you may have to do
a bit more maneuvering,
but if you explain
what's in the way and
why you need to help,
the child should have no
problem with that. This
is normal in his or her
world. If it seems
appropriate, explain
what your studio has in
it and how it's
decorated. If there is a
fish tank, for example,
the child may have
already heard it and ask
you what the sound is.
There may be other
instruments, or the
metronome. Anything that
seems particularly
attractive might serve
as a reward for
exploring after the
lesson.
These days, it seems
more children may be a
bit hyper or have
shorter than expected
attention spans. This
could be normal, or a
part of the syndrome
that has caused the
blindness, and the
parent may have just not
told you about it. Treat
such things as you would
a normal child. Even the
wildest blind children
I've met are aware that
it's not a good idea to
run around in places
where they don't know
what they could bump
into, so you should have
cooperation.
Things could be
different if the child
is extremely shy, but
most likely, he will be
proactive from the
start. If he has a piano
or keyboard at home,
chances are that he will
be eager to show you
what he knows. But of
course, this is where
you take control. Ask
some guiding
questions -- play me a high
note, play me a low
note. Do you know what
an octave is? What are
notes that sound good
when played together,
and which ones are the
kinds that send your mom
running in to tell you
to stop fooling around?
Next will be
positioning on the piano
bench.
You know how to
teach that. Don't be
afraid to touch the
child or move his or her
hands. Many students we
see have poor posture at
the instrument because
the teacher was afraid
to speak bluntly about
it. Say what needs to be
said. You may sometimes
want to position the
child's hands properly,
or have him place his
hands on top of yours.
If you are going to
touch or manipulate,
give him some notice
that you're coming. If
you encounter some
resistance, there's
probably a concern that
you can alleviate by
giving more verbal
instruction. Blind
children are generally
more "talky" at an early
age. They will
appreciate having things
explained
thoroughly-unless they,
like other children, are
impatient and want to
get to their agenda
before yours. In that
case, you know how to
remind her who is who.
If there is a sibling
in the family taking
lessons, you may be
surprised at what the
child has picked up. She
may already know the
names of the notes and
often, which is which by
sound. Don't appear
astonished at evidence
of what could be perfect
pitch, and don't be
disappointed if the
child doesn't know what
you expect. Even if the
child does have perfect
pitch, that won't change
anything in what he
needs to learn now or
later, or the method of
teaching.
What about lesson
books?
If you are the
kind of teacher who
gives out a shiny
pamphlet and notebook
the first day and
assigns page 3 for the
next week, you will need
to prepare yourself for
working without a book,
at least for a while.
The braille music code
is excellent for reading
any type of music, and
it would be a good thing
indeed for your student
to be able to transition
to using it. However, in
today's less than
perfect world, now may
not be the right time.
Adults who attended
schools for the blind
more than forty years
ago remember being
introduced to both the
piano keys and the
braille music symbols at
the piano bench. While
this could still be done
and might be considered
ideal, there are several
very good reasons most
educators don't attempt
it today. The main
reason is that most
blind children are
mainstreamed in public
schools and the amount
of time they have for
learning braille is
limited.
A teacher of
the visually impaired
who sees the child once
a week, if that often,
must apportion her time
carefully to make sure
the child learns many
skills beyond mere
reading, that are
essential for being able
to keep up with all
activities in the school
curriculum and learn
adaptive strategies.
There are already
several codes of braille
necessary to learn to be
able to read literature
and math; introducing
another one, and
expecting that the child
will have regular time
to learn music using it,
often appears to
teachers as asking too
much. Another is that
although the braille
music code is made up of
the same six dots as the
literary code and has
signs for notes by their
letter names, the
correspondence between
the literary code
letters and the music
letter names is not
exact. Teachers fear
getting the child
confused at a time when
it's essential to get
the literary code down
pat. But nothing stops
the child from learning braille music when a
little older. The big
bonus is that if the
child has mastered the
art of reading braille,
then any music teacher
can work with him,
following along in the
print book. This does
not require any
knowledge of braille
beyond some very basic
principles of how music
is presented nonvisually.
The best thing you
can do at this beginning
stage is to lay strong
foundations -- about
rhythm, about melody,
about intervals, and how
concepts of music have
been codified so that
meaningful discussion
can take place. Knowing
what it is about music
that will make sense for
wanting to read it
someday will go a long
way to motivate the
child for reading later
on. Just as it's much
easier to teach someone
to read if he first
knows language and words,
give your student a full
exposure to the language
of music. I work with
students who are good
musicians, but have
learned by ear all their
lives. Some are ready to
learn to read it, and
others resist. They find
the thought of
concentrating on written
symbols and putting them
together a far cry from
what they consider the
joy and spontaneity of
music playing to be all
about. What you do now
can make all the
difference in preparing
someone to be a literate
musician.
Having said that you
may not be using
beginner piano books, I
would be remiss in not
mentioning that the
standard beginner books
do exist in braille and
were transcribed with
great care and
dedication. The Music
Section of the Library
of Congress (see the
resources section) lists
several familiar series,
including Alfred and
Bastien. They may be
older editions from what
you use, but you can
probably find print
versions to match pretty
closely if you want to
go that route. Bear in
mind that the books do
use the braille music
symbols. If there is a
particular series you
like, for the structure
it provides, you can
certainly use it, or
read passages out loud.
However, when you think
about it, you may find
that their methods fall
rather flat if you
aren't able to see the
illustrations on each
page. In fact, the
braille editions are
filled with picture
descriptions in
parentheses, which make
the book seem highly
academic. They may be of
benefit to blind
teachers working with
sighted children who
have the books. For your
teaching you will
probably find yourself
making your own lesson
plans, sometimes using
exercises inspired by
your experience using
the books with others,
sometimes using your own
ideas and creativity
based on the child's
personality and
interests.
I have noticed that
many students using
books measure their
progress by the page or
book number they have
gotten to. Perhaps
that's why publishers
make their books so
small. The blind student
may be more interested
in the musical results
and feel a sense of
progress based on what
the lessons have made
him able to do. I
suspect that for many,
the personal goal may be
to gain skills to play
things that come into
his head. For most of my
life I absolutely
rebelled against any
kind of orthodox lesson
because teachers
wouldn't tell me the
reasons behind what they
wanted me to do. I
wanted nothing to do
with what I took as
adult tyrannies of
having peers taught
piece after piece,
without a higher aim
than being asked to
perform those pieces.
Not everyone is like
that, of course, but I
am sure you'll have a
much more apt pupil if
you say things like "the
reason it's important to
use the fingers I'm
telling you to use is so
you can find the notes
you want quickly." (If
the child uses a
computer, he'll know how
much easier it is to
find letters after
having had lessons in
touch typing.) The same
goes for scales. "Scales
are useful, because
melodies are made up of
patterns like them, and
if you learn them you'll
be able to find the note
you want when you want
it." You can introduce
little songs and then
pieces by showing what
the acquisition of the
skills each requires
will allow him to extend
his ability in "free
swim."
With all that in
mind, here are some
activity ideas:
Finding Middle C.
It's a good habit to be
able to find a note
without having to hunt.
This is particularly
true for performance
situations, where the
student should be able
to approach the piano
and confidently find the
beginning note without
playing notes softly to
double check. Explain
how the black notes are
in groups of two and
three, and how each C is
to the left of each set
of two. A keyboard is a
big expanse for a small
child, and the pattern
may not be obvious. If
there is a problem
finding them on the
keyboard, perhaps
confining the child's
exploration to one or
two octaves, placing
boundaries to the left
and right, will help.
Explain again how using
correct fingers will
help find other notes.
If you normally put
print tags with the note
names on piano keys, you
could do the same with
braille, either with
paper or using the
Lego-like music
Tack-Tiles. We have
found that braille on
the keys may not be all
that helpful for finding
notes, and would only
consider this if it
would help the child
associate the sound of a
note he plays with the
braille.
Even if the student
doesn't have absolutely
perfect pitch, he may be
able to learn to
recognize the sound of
middle C, or A or G. I'm
sure we all have
different associations,
and these may be rather
private. For what it's
worth, I used to
associate middle C with
our old vacuum cleaner,
E with a fire siren near
my grandparents' house,
F and A with General
Motor's car horns and
the telephone dial tone,
and B-flat with
florescent lights and
power adapters. Our
electronic age has taken
away telephone bells
with D-sharp and G, and
cash registers with
bells in F. GE microwave
ovens generally beep in
C. All right, we'll go
back to more socially
acceptable conversation.
You might explain that
middle C is really in
the middle. Show the
student about putting
both hands on C and then
reaching out to the
sides and back to C
again.
Then you can move on
to little songs, and
whatever else you teach.
One thing you might
consider for structure
is to use one of the
methods easily adapted
to oral learning. One I
was introduced to
recently was Simply
Music, which has catchy
little exercises with
activity for both hands.
Each one leads to
another developing
fluency skills around
the keyboard. The
student can work within
the parameters each song
gives to play with his
own inventions.
Preparing the Student
for Reading Later.
It does not take long
for a braille reader to
learn the signs for
braille music. The key
to transitioning to
reading is having good
musical foundations and
practiced working with
the elements that will
have their place on the
page. Most of the
students who come to my
program have gaps which
prevent their being able
to make immediate full
use of the braille
symbols they learn with
us. For those who have
been playing by ear, the
gaps are in knowing how
to deal with rhythmic
values they find with
each note-they have not
needed to think in terms
of measures or had to
count things out. You
can make your student as
star by emphasizing
counting from the very
beginning. Exercises
could include marching,
clapping different
patterns and asking the
student to clap them
back, and, later,
beating out together
quarter notes, eighths,
sixteenths, etc. and
having the student
become good at telling
you which is where.
Don't forget dotted
notes, which most people
find a challenge. You
might suggest the
student participate in a
school band. The
benefits of that
activity include
becoming very good at
following the beat, and
counting to know when to
come in.
On the pitch side,
you can help the student
learn the note names,
recognize where middle C
is in a pattern, etc.
The experts suggest that
students be taught to
think of notes
interchangeably in three
ways: their letter
names, their solfege
names, and the number of
their appearance in the
scale. Being able to
think of notes by their
number greatly helps in
distinguishing
intervals. I have found
that students with close
to perfect pitch like to
think of notes by a
given name, and can get
a little upset if
someone refers to what
they have always thought
of as a B-flat as an
A-sharp. So it's
important to explain key
signatures, the circle
of fifths, etc, and why
notes are called sharps
in keys like G and flats
in keys like F. . I have
tried explaining how a
B-flat could be an
A-sharp by asking, well,
if you have an uncle Ed
on your mother's side,
what does your mom call
him, and what does his
daughter call him?
Another game activity
might be called "Where
is Mr. Do", (or Jane
Doe?) which would help
students figure out
where Do is, and
consequently, what key
the music is played in.
People with good pitch
may find it difficult to
grasp the concept of a
movable Do. Being able
to think of the
relationships between
notes as solfege can
prevent being bogged
down by pitches and make
it easier to read scores
more quickly and
analytically. Additional
ideas on what the useful
foundations are and how
they can be taught are
in the writings of
Richard Taesch, some of
whose articles are on
this web site.
Activities for teacher
and student are given in
the book "Who's Afraid
of Braille Music" by
Richard Taesch and
William McCann,
available from Dancing
Dots or National Braille
Press (See Resource
List.)
There are several
other elements of ear
training that you might
want to start your blind
pupil on before you
normally do with others.
Intervals are
particularly important
in braille music,
because the code employs
interval signs to spell
notes in a chord. The
student should be able
not only to recognize
them by sound but also
tell you what note will
be a sixth up from an a,
for instance. And the
student needs to be able
to recognize intervals
both up and down.
Braille piano music
shows the base note for
the left hand and
intervals going up,
while for the right
hand, intervals are
shown as going down from
the topmost note.
Therefore, the student
will need to wrestle
with such concept as how
what is thought of as a
fifth up could be shown
as a fourth down, etc.
The more theory, the
better, really. Students
may be fascinated by
cadences, and other
devices that hint at the
direction a piece of
music will be going.
Theory, after all, is a
vocabulary or grammar,
that gives terms and
validates rules for what
the student may have
discovered but may not
have had the words to
express. You might want
to spend time listening
to music together, to
see how such devices
apply.
A word about staff
notation.
You and your
student will probably
both be more relaxed if
you don't delve into
what print music looks
like too deeply. Notes
in braille music are not
written on a staff, and
there are no lines,
spaces, or clef signs.
Instead, the notes are
written as letters are
in a word, with the
measure bar line
indicated by a space.
Each symbol shows both
the note' pitch and
rhythmic value. Octave
marks, usually before
the measure show what
octave the notes will be
played in. So, while
it's important for the
student to know how
others think of music
notation and to be able
to share ideas wit
others, it is not
necessary to drill these
concepts in. People have
come up with various
ways to represent the
staff tactually. An
example of one teacher's
creation is shown in
another article on this
site. For your
information, a book
showing many of the
common music symbols in
raised form is available
from the National
braille Association (See
resource list.)
As previously
mentioned, anything you
can do to demonstrate to
the person not yet
reading, that music
reading is a good thing
will go a long way.
Avoid statements like
"You'll need to be able
to read this someday
because I won't be
around to show you";
More positive would be
to demonstrate how much
can be learned by
reading the composer's
score about what he
actually wanted, that
you either cannot hear
in a recording, or
someone's interpretation
has taken license with.
Teaching Braille
Music.
When the student has
become a good braille
reader, you should
broach the subject of
braille music with his
family and teachers,
because it is now
probably in the realm of
what the student can be
expected to do. Often
parents and teachers
have heard braille music
is too hard and will
discourage the idea. You
can declare from
experience that
eventually, the music
will become too
complicated to learn
properly by ear or using
recordings, and also,
braille will be
essential if the student
plans on being able to
take a regular theory or
analysis class, not to
mention participate in a
choir. If you and the
student already have a
good rapport, then you
can be the one to get
the student started, and
you don't need to know
braille to do it.
Several books have been
written with this type
of situation in mind. In
fact, the Music Section
of the Library of
Congress lends out a
print copy of the
braille music learning
books along with the
braille, for the teacher
to use.
Books on learning
braille music fall into
two categories: those
that show the basics
with only a few
exercises, and those set
up as a course. The
courses are definitely
the way to go if you
have a lot of time,
because they have
exercises and drill in
the areas that give
people the most trouble.
However, the other books
work well also, and can
soon be supplemented
with actual piano music.
A book that will give
you a quick overview on
how braille music works
is "How to Read Braille
Music" by Bettye
Krolick. This is
available from the
Library of Congress, and
may be purchased for
about $10 from National
Braille Press. The book
we use most is the
"Primer of Braille
music", by Edward W.
Jenkins. Often the
teaching of braille
music can be a team
approach. You know about
music; the student is
the braille expert. Let
him explain how it works
as you work together on
the exercises. Once you
get the rudiments down,
you can skip the piano
learning series and ask
the Library of Congress
for simple piano pieces.
For the more advanced,
the two-part
inventions are
available, as well as
the pieces you would
expect in standard
repertoire. A wide
variety of material of
graded difficulty may be
found in the Suzuki
books available in braille. You can get an
idea of what's available
by going to the Library
of Congress's web site, http://www.loc.gov/nls
and then to the link
called Quick Search of
the Catalog. Many music
titles are available for
downloaded, for
embossing on a braille
printer, or for a
student to read on a
braille display. Note
that the nature of
music, especially piano
music, which shows a
line for each hand,
makes it difficult to
read on a one-line
display.
Technology.
You may
not need anything beyond
a simple recording and
playback device for the
beginning student. So
far, we have not found
software for ear
training that's really
practical or does not
use visual elements. For
the budding older
composer, you should be
aware that accessible
systems for MIDI
sequencing and audio
recording are available,
as well as for
converting print music
into braille. The main
marketer of these
systems is Dancing Dots
Braille Music
Technology. If a simple
sequencer is wanted, our
center may be able to
recommend one that is
free. Note that most
music software is not
accessible, so it's best
to get recommendations
from someone who is
knowledgable. We often
get questions about
accessible metonomes.
We'll try to give a good
answer if you inquire.
Regarding conversion
of music into braille,
unless your music is
unique or highly
customized, the
beginning teacher is
advised to check first
to see what material is
already available before
attempting to produce
braille with such a
system. Training is
required. For situations
where music not in the
library's holdings are
needed for your lessons
or school, braille
transcribers are able to
produce what is required
at a nominal fee.
For the Student with
Low Vision.
If you have
a student who can read
large print, chances are
that the family will
want you to use enlarged
music. Each person's
ability will be
different, and you
should be sure you will
have access to the
student's vision teacher
or others with proper
expertise. There is a
possibility that the
student's vision loss
may have been diagnosed
as progressive. That
could mean that while
enlarged music made on a
copier may work for a
while, it may not be the
answer a year from now.
Check our Low Vision
page for other options.
Music is available in
large print format from
several sources. A
system called the Lime
Lighter, from Dancing
Dots, can enlarge music
on a computer screen.
The Lime Lighter costs
several thousand
dollars. Depending on
the individual, there
may be other technology
solutions. The family
will need to be
involved.
We emphasize again
that people are out
there who can help. Be
creative, but remember
also that there have
been lots and lots of
blind or vision impaired
students who have taken
piano lessons. Rather
than reinvent the wheel,
check out the resources
below and on our
Resource List page, or
call and ask questions.
Enjoy your student.
Resources.
We list the ones of
primary interest, though
many more may be found
on our web site. Bear in
mind that in the
beginning, your most
valuable resources may
be other teachers or
blind adults who have
studied music. Also,
there might be a braille
music transcriber living
locally who could help
with questions related
to braille, and more
general ones based on
experience of knowing
how other students and
teachers have handled
things. Most states have
schools for the blind.
If they themselves are
not actively teaching
music, they may know of
teachers or alumni who
can help.
Teaching Advisors
-
-
Braille music
transcribing and advice:
Karen Gearreald,
Norfolk, VA - karen118@cox.net
-
Music Education
Network for the Visually
Impaired, MENVI, http://www.menvi.org
-
National Resource
Center for blind
Musicians, Bridgeport,
CT (sponsors of this web
site), Phone (203)
366-3300, extension 229 info@blindmusicstudent.org &
http://www.blindmusicstudent.org
-
Check out the table of
contents for the pages
called "Facts", the
articles under "If you
Are a Teacher or Doing
Research," "Low Vision,"
and "Comprehensive
Resource List."
Music and Method
Books in Braille
Music Section,
National Library Service
for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped,
Library of Congress
Phone (1-800( 424-8567 http://www.loc.gov/nls .
To search for a title or
piece, go to the link
"Quick Search of the
Online Catalog." For the
Music Section itself,
for lists of
transcribers, music
circulars, and
transcribing manuals: http://www.loc.gov/nls/music .
Note that books,
including those in print
for use by a teacher,
must be borrowed in the
student's name. Students
must register with the
Music Section by calling
their network library
from which they get
recreational reading
material, or call the
Music Section directly.Prima Vista Braille
Music Services, Leeds,
England -
A web site in England,
with a growing
collection of sheet
music and method books
from well-known music
publishers. These must
be purchased through
Paypal.Dancing Dots Braille
Music Technology -
Phone (610) 783-6692 -
Technology for
converting print music
into braille, recording
studio solutions, and
publishers of courses on
reading braille music.National Braille
Press, Boston, MA Phone
(7617) 266-6160 -
Offers "Who's Afraid of
Braille Music" and "How
to Read Braille Music."National Braille Association, Rochester,
NY Phone (5855) 427-8260 -
Instruction and support
for braille music
transcribers, offers
book of raised music
symbols.
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26.Mai.2012
publicado
por
MJA |
