Top of page

Archive: 2017 (54 Posts)

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

New Catalog Available!

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

Maybe that’s not the most exciting news you’ll hear today, but we’re excited! The Music Appreciation Catalog is making its debut and ready for all patrons interested in learning about music. Previously, we had music instruction and music appreciation joined together in one large print catalog, and while they were happy sharing the space, it was …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

Celebrating Black Composers

Posted by: Katie Rodda

In honor of Black History Month, this blog post will highlight materials in the music section that are written by or about African American composers. These composers wrote in many styles, including popular, Western classical, jazz, gospel, and more. Here is some music by three Black composers that we have available in our collection. Harry …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

An Interview with Stephanie Pieck, Part 2

Posted by: Donna Koh

This is the second part of my interview with Stephanie Pieck. Q) Explaining your teaching philosophy, you wrote, “I faced many instances in which the general opinion was that a blind person couldn’t learn. But I also had many very dedicated teachers who knew this wasn’t true; all that was needed was a different way to …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

An Interview with Stephanie Pieck, Part 1

Posted by: Donna Koh

I am excited to share my interview with Stephanie Pieck, a pianist, teacher, and an NLS patron. Stephanie received her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Ithaca College and maintains a private music studio in New York. Q) How old were you when you started playing the piano? What motivated you to start playing? A) …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

A Miniaturist and More

Posted by: Gilbert Busch

For many music lovers, the end of January brings to mind two birthdays: Mozart’s on the 27th, and Schubert’s on the 31st. Could a composer born between these two giants, end up being overlooked? Perhaps. It was while preparing my blog about the Viking Opera Guide (BRM29585) that I learned that the 29th of January …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

Le Jazz Hot!

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

It’s always interesting to check the date for famous birthdays or events and see where reflections will lead.  Today, January 26, is the birthday of Stèphane Grappelli, French jazz violinist. That’s right, violinists can be jazz musicians, and once you hear a sample, you’ll start appreciating, and I hope, admiring the style.  In fact, stringed …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

Newest BARD Additions

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Since we are on a roll talking about BARD, I thought it would be good to highlight some of the new (or newly digitized) titles that we’ve uploaded to BARD over the past few weeks. Talking Books Uncle Dave Macon (DBM03766) This is a look at “Uncle Dave” Macon (also known as “The Dixie Dewdrop) and …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)

Posted by: Donna Koh

Recently, I’ve been dismayed to hear some patrons say, “I know you don’t have such and such in your collection because I already checked on BARD.” After receiving a few of these comments, I realized that some of our patrons mistakenly believe that our entire collection is available on BARD.  I would like to use …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

For Braille Readers—A Real Treasure Trove

Posted by: Gilbert Busch

This afternoon, I looked at the Metropolitan Opera schedule, which appears in the October-December issue of our quarterly magazine The Musical Mainstream. It lists all of the operas to be performed, along with NLS materials, librettos, lectures, etc., pertaining to the operas. Nowhere did I find any mention of a reference book that I read …