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Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, I had the pleasure to present some braille music scores and talk about the NLS Music program to many people in a short amount of time. They were all very happy and streaming by the Main Reading Room desk in the Jefferson building at a very rapid pace. However, they …
Posted in: Disco, NLS Music Section, Performing music, Rock n' Roll
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
I have blogged previously about Women in Music and although the official calendar date has passed for Women’s History Month, I would like to share my experience from a forum sponsored by the Library of Congress. Leaders in the Arts was a conversation held in the beautiful Members Room on March 22, 2017, with Librarian Carla Hayden …
Posted in: Music Education, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, NLS Music Section, Orchestra, Performing music
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 …
Posted in: Guitar instruction, Jazz, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, Performing music
Posted by: Katie Rodda
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 …
Posted in: Braille, Braille Music, Choral, Instrumental Music, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, Orchestra, Performing music, Piano, Piano Music, Vocal music
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
Forty-three years ago patron Dianne Phelps earned her Music Education degree at Eastern New Mexico University. She faced difficult challenges with her partial vision at the time and struggled with some of the faculty, reluctant to award her a degree. Thankfully, she prevailed. Afterwards, she had a keyboard and was frustrated as she was not …
Posted in: Blind Musicians, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Music Composition, Music Education, Music Instruction, NLS Music Section, Performing music, Piano Music, Popular Music
Posted by: John Hanson
THIS IS A GUEST BLOG BY DONNA KOH, Music Reader Services Librarian in the Music Section As a piano teacher, I’ve witnessed countless times how a student perks up when I start playing the teacher’s duet part during their lesson. It’s a great joy to see a smile spread across the student’s face as the simple …
Posted in: Performing music, Piano, Piano Music
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
Today we are honoring a superstar in opera. You know someone is famous when they are referred to by only one name; Michelangelo, Beethoven, Bach, Picasso. And that is just a short list of artists and composers. What about performers? Who can possibly be ingrained in the memory of fans to be remembered by one …
Posted in: Audio, Metropolitan Opera, Music History and Appreciation, Performing music, Recordings
Posted by: Amanda Smith
Early winter has been unusually warm in Washington D.C. But now the temperature has finally come down, and it is in the teens and twenties. Recently, when I stopped to reflect on the idea of this year’s changing season, I thought of Vivaldi’s work of four violin concerti, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons). Each …
Posted in: Braille Music, Music History and Appreciation, Performing music, Piano Music
Posted by: Katie Rodda
I hope everyone out there had a relaxing and peace-filled holiday season. Now that the year is almost through, it’s time to look ahead to 2016 and the new beginnings that await us there. In keeping with that spirit, this blog will highlight some of the newest braille and digital talking books that have been …
Posted in: Audio, Bluegrass, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Folk Music, Guitar instruction, Instrumental Music, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, New Acquisitions, NLS Music Section, Orchestra, Performing music, Piano, Popular Music, Recordings