new student-legally blind

[jpianoflorida]

I have a new student who is "legally blind"...we are going to enlarge the music for her and she can see it fairly well then! Last night I did some ear training/teaching!   This will be a new experience for me.   Any suggestions?   

[pianistimo]

this morning i was looking for something else- as usual- and happened upon an ear training course on-line.  there are several good ones.  there's on one pianoforum under the topic of ear training - but this one seems to be a newer one.  i'll look again.

using the 'feel' of chords is a good place to start, too.  perhaps adding a bit of jazz - for fun - to some pieces would allow her later on - to just improvise what she hears. 

mayla, and myself (with very young students) have played a series of notes and then ask the student to repeat.  you could even do it duet style- and play an octave or two lower - and then request the student to sort of do a 'match' game.

blind students are occasionally also learning disabled although not always - but i never had a problem with putting stickers here or there (colored) that would remind the left hand of basic chord positions.  this really helps sometimes.  change them from week to week to add different keys so they just get used to the basic chords in each key. 

[hyrst]

Hi Jay,
That sounds like a wonderful challenge, and it soudnsl ike you are off to a good start.  HOw old is the student?  (This would make a big difference to how good they are at coming up with their own compensation strategies.)

Memorisation and playign be ear are claerly skills that you will be relying upon - such as playing for the student when they play something new, and developing skills with hearing intervals.  Also, I would be pretty pedantic about correct posture, locaiton at the piano and contact with the keys.  

I would also work on making different interval leaps form fairly early - to develop confidence about finding the way around the keyboard kinaesthetically.  Start with finding the way through touch as soon as possible, and then move to being aware of postural change to reach different notes.

I am sure, with the extensive teaching experience you have, my suggestions are nothing new, but this is an area I am really interested in.  I'd love to toss ideas around - and maybe problem solve when different issues come up.

Another thing I would watch out for is that often poeple with legal blindness are in hte habbit of getting very close to print material so they can focus on even the enlarged print.  THis, of course, will stop them from playing fluently later on.  If this happens, I would recommend studying small sections of notes at a time and memorising them in short phrases, then going back to the piano to play the phrase by memory - rahter than developing a habit of leaning into the music when at the piano.

I really like Pinistimo's ideas - obviously more experienced in this area than me!  Feeling chord structure would be very supportive.  And the use of set colours for different things, that always mean the same thing, would be very beneficial.

Love to hear more about it!
Annah

[pianistimo]

maybe when you put the stickers on - you should put a little piece of coscous (or something little) under the tape so she can lightly feel the sticker?  if she is going blind and knows that she is losing her sight - doing more and more things to help her cope with the blindness seems like a good idea.  you could even start incorporating the same 'braille' pattern with the name of the notes so she can feel the names.

[jpianoflorida]

thanks everyone! she's 14 by the way.......

[hyrst]

I like the idea of adapting the Braille - except it would be a lot of work, especially with beginner pieces (assuming she is a beginner), as she would move through these fairly quickly.  However, if you used a fake book style - learning to improvise on patterns of the bass harmony - then you could use the textured stickers to represent different chords and read or memorise only the melody.  This would cut down on the reading quite a bit while not making so much work (you'd only need a handful of patterns for any given piece, in most cases).  It would also develop the improvisation side, which I imagine would be a relief when reading is a struggle.

At 14, I would be asking specifically for feedback about what works for her, and the techniques she uses at school.  She could be very self-conscious, though, at 14 - but she would also be the expert at what works for her own reading. 

Perhaps learning fewer pieces, but bringing out the most musical expression possible in even the beginner pieces, would be the best.  But, don't stay on 'baby' pieces - make the biggest conceptual leaps between pieces that she can handle without getting lost. 

I find that the Theme from Swan Lake is a really good piece for starting older girls on, as most of the intervals are by step - they can play this within a couple of weeks of starting music lessons.  It makes them feel like they are playing something of real music without it being too difficult.  This would also be good for this young girl, I think, as there is not much hand movement needed and there are two sequences in section A, with 2 in B (I think, off hand) and a return to A - but it sounds very beautiful.  It is therefore very easy to memorise as well.

Annah

[jpianoflorida]

great ideas..thanks! please keep the ideas rolling in!   She has a fantastic attitude and is so excited over learning...  we did "when the saints" and "jingle bells" by ear last nigth...showed her 2 chords and she picked that up all very quickly.    I wrote out large numbers for the melody of both songs.   It was spontaneous as I didn't know she was legally blind until she arrived. I had talked to the mom and she never mentioned that.   

[ryan2189]

Hello,

I happen to be legally blind.

By the way this sounds, her situation sounds worse than mine, but I would still like to contribute some things that I have had to deal with. The first would be that sight reading is almost an impossibility for me, and that time at home is most important when learning a piece. Never expect her to learn something well, even HS, when you are together with her in the lesson learning a piece for the first time. I am always more comfortable when I can work out my fingerings and positions at my own pace (with my face up against the music  ). Of course, she will need someone to teach her the process of correct fingerings, so I guess some time would obviously need to be dedicated in the lesson. But as the pieces become more advanced, I find the previous method to be very effective. Besides that, most of the pedagogical methods and techniques still apply to this type of student.

Another thing I would watch out for is that often poeple with legal blindness are in hte habbit of getting very close to print material so they can focus on even the enlarged print.  THis, of course, will stop them from playing fluently later on.  If this happens, I would recommend studying small sections of notes at a time and memorising them in short phrases, then going back to the piano to play the phrase by memory - rahter than developing a habit of leaning into the music when at the piano.

This is also very important, and something I agree with a lot.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Hope I was of help.

And just a note for others: legally blind does not necessarily mean a complete lack of sight. I am able to see, just not as good as others, and it usually will not get worse over time. (at least in younger years)

[jpianoflorida]

Ryan

Thanks so much for your input..I also sent you a PM!   That is what is great about this forum!   Again, thanks!

[instromp]

This site has good ear training tutorials, check them out.

musictheory.net

[penguinlover]

Did you all see on the news last week that blind student who was in a college marching band, in a wheel chair?  He plays the piano also, quite well.  I saw it on ABC, World News.  I wish I could remember his name.  It was quite an impressive story.

[instromp]

Did you all see on the news last week that blind student who was in a college marching band, in a wheel chair?  He plays the piano also, quite well.  I saw it on ABC, World News.  I wish I could remember his name.  It was quite an impressive story.

My theory teacher mentioned something about that the other day in class.I think he said his father helps him with everything, he learns all the choreography so he can do it too (or maybe im talking of something else  )

[penguinlover]

Yeah, his father learns the routines and pushes the wheel chair for his son.  It was quite touching.  I was very impressed with his, their, attitude.  If he could do all that being blind and never able to walk, it makes me wonder what I could do with my life.  I haven't accomplished nearly as much, and I have no disabilities (besides age.)