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Category: Music Education

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Stars of the Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau

Posted by: Donna Koh

Hollywood is abuzz in anticipation of the annual Academy Awards ceremony coming up on February 9th. I’ll admit that regardless of how late it is on Sunday night, I stay up to find out who the winners are. Equally exciting for people who are starstruck like me is when iconic film stars or other celebrities …

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Piano Lessons Made-to-Measure: An Interview with Dr. Leslie Jones About Teaching Visually Impaired Students, Part 2

Posted by: Donna Koh

This is the second part of my interview with Dr. Leslie Jones. DK: What tools and skills should these students be taught in order for them to be successful independent learners? LJ: Learning the language of any musician: music theory—pitch, rhythm, keys; using the measure numbers as points of reference in rehearsals, lessons and practice. …

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Piano Lessons Made-to-Measure: An Interview with Dr. Leslie Jones About Teaching Visually Impaired Students, Part 1

Posted by: Donna Koh

This blog is intended as a resource for sighted music teachers who may feel intimidated by the thought of accepting blind or visually impaired (VI) students into their studio due to lack of knowledge of how to best serve these students. Recently, I reached out to Dr. Leslie Jones, who has been serving as the …

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A Community Music School for Blind and Visually Impaired Students, Part 2

Posted by: Donna Koh

Continued from last week. Part 2 My second day at the school, which was a Saturday, was spent observing private lessons and group classes. Saturday at the school is mostly reserved for the youth programs. I was eager to attend as many lessons as possible and what I saw was fascinating and memorable. I attended …

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Aiming Beyond Graduation: Creating Inclusive College Music Courses for Blind and Visually Impaired Students, Part 1

Posted by: Donna Koh

Part 1 The end goal for most college music students is to develop and cultivate skills to prepare for a successful musical career after graduation. For some music students with visual impairment (V.I.), just getting through the college degree program can be challenging.  Here are some common reasons: inability to learn a large amount of …

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Discussing Braille Music with Lifetime NLS Patron Linn Sorge, Part 1

Posted by: Donna Koh

Linn Sorge has been a NLS patron since she was in kindergarten some 60 years ago. I met Linn when I took “Braille Music Basics,” an excellent introductory online course to reading braille music offered through Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  In addition to being a teacher at Hadley, Linn is an …