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That’s just because we were talking about visual impairments Hugh. I figured you knew that. But I’m glad that you mentioned her!
Evelyn is actually a deaf percussionist who plays barefoot to help feel the rhythms. You know I just met another musician who has worked with her. The only special request she made of the band was not to play too heavily on the bass. Her playing is unbelievable to me. I worked with physically and cognitively handicapped people for 20 years. I was always amazed at what they could work out for themselves. Our job as a therapist or teacher is to bring aspects of the world to them which their disabilities do not allow them to reach in the same way as everyone else. And in many cases, like with this little girl, she was already teaching herself the harp in her own way, making up her own music theory and technique, unusual posture. My immediate goal is simply to redirect that to a more reasonable approach, try to develop some appropriate hand skills and basic understanding of the circle of fifths. On receiving a 19 stringed harp with a full set of levers she immediately engaged every single lever and tuned the harp herself by ear. Her parents didn’t know any better. So it disturbed her when I told her first we needed to take the levers down. We’ve all had self-taught students who came up with some pretty strange approaches. She just needs an appropriate introduction to the instrument. She could be finished with it in a few months or we could go on to searching for consultation from other specialists.
I guess it’s a good thing no blind person has come to you for harp lessons since you think it is such a bad idea. The child is the one making the request and my feeling is that she should have the opportunity to try. This is just a young child with a very small inexpensive harp . We aren’t talking about orchestral work on a pedal harp.
Thanks! I’ve done some reading on that site already. And as I expected, you don’t start out thinking about Braille music for a beginning student until they have achieved some other goals. I’ll find out if her family is signed up for the library services. I believe they have just moved here from another state. I found a great article by David Goldstein to help piano teachers plan for the first lessons.
http://www.blindmusicstudent.org/Articles/piano_teaching.htmAnd then I have this “harp that shall not be named” to deal with.
I’ll see if I have anything to post! She is a bundle of energy that I have to direct. I worked for many years as a speech language pathologist with children with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities. So I’m used to adapting what I teach but I have never worked with a visually impaired child, teaching music! She has made up her own theories about music, has her own names for intervals and probably much more. Some of it has some basis and some of it is her imagination! So yes, quite a challenge. I just hope she sticks with it while I figure this out!
the “harp that shall not be named”. That is so funny! I have had two students bring them to me in the last several months. One just wouldn’t stay in tune but last week I saw a brand new one. We are waiting to see if it holds tuning and the family was already asking about changing the strings. I don’t believe that would make one bit of difference. These were brand new strings and the sound in the upper octaves is just all you get. My humble suggestions is don’t spend money on strings. Save your money for a harp that will have a better sound from the start. (My first post in a long time so I don’t know where to put my name. I guess it will show up.)
