You know it’s coming, sooner or later this year must end. It has certainly been an interesting series of events, to say the least, and I will leave it there. Whatever your plans are for New Year’s Eve, the NLS Music Section wants everyone to be safe and take some time for reflection. And if …
On this day, over two hundred years ago, a historic concert took place. It was in Vienna, in the middle of the Advent season, and Beethoven needed some money. “But, Beethoven,” you would say, “surely he was doing fine! He is Beethoven! Everyone loves him!” However, in Vienna in 1808, just because everyone loved you …
Today has been a great day. Two young readers registered for our music services and checked out braille music books for the first time. We have a small number of young braille music patrons, so getting two new readers in one day is something to be excited about. One of the two new patrons was …
In Part I of this blog, I introduced the subject of American Braille, and pointed out that some NLS music scores use this system. Now, in Part II, I offer this list of American Braille symbols to help you if you ever receive such a score. Each letter or symbol in the left column is …
This blog post is concerned with the 2015 Braille Music Code, and where to obtain a copy. In addition, there is information about an upcoming conference call for those wishing to discuss braille music topics. The announcement comes from BANA, the Braille Authority of North America. BANA is the organization which makes decisions about contractions, formatting, …
I heard these words a lot this past weekend. That’s because the NLS Music Section made its way to the NAfME (National Association for Music Education) conference in Grapevine, TX. While there, I was able to promote our service to music teachers from all over the country—and some future music teachers too! The refrain I kept …
While reviewing our file archive, I came upon a letter sent to us in 1989 and experienced a sharp reminder of how our services have advanced in filling requests. At times, I have flashbacks to the pre-internet era and usually shudder. Speedy communication is one of the positives of the medium, it seems to me. …
About a month ago, NLS Music Section received 11 international guests who were visiting the U.S. under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. We happened to be the first destination in their month-long itinerary, and they were eager to hear about the music services we provide for our patrons. The guests …
“I can’t read this braille at all,” a coworker says to me one morning; “What does it say?” Moving my hand over the dots, I am reminded of an incident from childhood. My piano teacher had just handed me Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14. I had never heard of this piece (by Mendelssohn), so I checked the …