Mountain Climbing: Teaching the Blind
Piano teachers have the advantage of engaging in one-to-one instruction. In prior centuries it was customary to describe a piano student being “under the tutelage” of a certain instructor. Tutorials offer the universally most effective forum for learning. It gives us the wonderful opportunities to nurture a love of music within the avenues of creativity tailored to each individual student.
A wide range of elementary methods are available today. I find that Frances Clark’s Music Tree series will generate the best hand positions and posture control; to this I add supplemental materials and wonderful gems ranging from Faber & Faber to William Gillock. Over the years I established a methodology to successfully train the young beginners who generally frequent my music studio.
The years passed quickly, in an ordered and well paced manner, until one day every aspect of my piano pedagogy was turned completely upside down!
Entering the door were identical twin sisters who had just turned six years old, born blind. They were charming, eager to learn, playing “duets” they created from the age of two. My initial reaction was probably what most any one of us would have: “This sort of instruction is not in my repertoire.”
“Won’t you try?” the Mother simply asked. The twins were at the piano giggling and playing away, and I simply could not refuse. Fortunately I was born an “ear” player who constantly improvises. While seated together at the piano we started jamming every nursery tune I could think of. Following this make-shift lesson, I embarked upon a twelve year adventure with numerous visually impaired children, who not only transformed my studio, but my life. I would encourage every piano teacher to share music with children who have special needs.
While building a new curriculum for the visually impaired, I contacted one of my mentors since childhood. A spry 86 year old who still taught dance classes “on walkers” at a nursing home, Betty Daly first pioneered teaching deaf children to dance during the 1960’s. She created an effective sequence of dance instruction which she later reminded me could be tailored for visually impaired children. Her curriculum included familiar songs and rhythm lessons, focusing on coordination skills. Immediately I found the twins benefitting from these rhythm and movement exercises. In each lesson, I moved from the large motor skills on the dance floor to the smaller skills related to the keyboard.
Young students who are visually impaired enter my piano studio. While every child is unique, I can offer generalizations and helpful hints about teaching piano to the blind. With the absence of sight, each child has a heightened sense of hearing. Sounds become a way of life, and it is as if every chirp of a bird, the sound of footsteps, the whispering of leaves in the wind, and similar sounds we most often ignore, become central to the child’s experience. Add to this the beauty of notes on the keyboard, and a symphony is literally written out of the air. It’s almost as if the children “catch” sounds from the air and interpret them in their piano improvisations. On the black keys, the students re-create impressions of their pets, the highway, and sounds from nature. These improvisations begin during the first lesson.
All of the students love to sing songs. For the very young, (aged four to six) I’ve enjoyed the Music for Little Mozarts series, which contains familiar songs, together with stories about Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse. The students also adore singing Christmas carols and performing them on the black keys. While teaching articulation, dynamics, harmony and phrasing to the visually impaired, the students readily “absorb the sounds” from the demonstrations, internalizing all concepts quickly. However, much repetition is required, introduced in brief segments, in order to develop fine motor control on the piano. We have incorporated charming exercises from Technic Tales by Louise Robyn (published during the 1930’s).
Because it requires extra time to make progress, and this progress is often in fits and starts, I have maintained a continual atmosphere of happiness and good humor throughout our lessons. What has been given to me in return is a greater insight and understanding into the potential of the human spirit.
When it comes to the topography of the keyboard, I shifted from my customary “flying up and down” the keyboard routine to “mountain climbing on the keys.” The groups of two and three black keys are known as the two and three mountains, which we learn to climb up and down to discover and identify the white keys on the entire keyboard. Landmark notes C and F and intervallic recognition are central to the mountain climbing adventure. Learning directions, right and left, finger numbers require extra time and patience. However, this is what successful mountain climbers do!
Sequencing of the piano studies, which is important to the success of any student, is essential for the visually impaired. New pieces are assigned with accompanying cds, in which the composition is performed, often with varying accompaniments. Also included on the recording is a vocalist who sings the finger numbers of the piece. This helps with economy of motion because these children tend to flip flop their little fingers and need to develop good practice habits at home.
Progress happens very gradually across the board. I have attained a new level of patience, while discovering such happiness in these lessons. Lessons in Braille music are available (including the Alfred series from the Library of Congress). However, parents have shied away from Braille music because it differs from what the young children are being instructed at school. As the children become older, I hope to incorporate lessons in Braille music. Until then, piano lessons continue by rote, with a continual focus on developing technical skills and beautiful phrasing.
The visually impaired children participate in studio recitals and community Christmas concerts. In addition, they perform in our annual Composer’s forum. In the forum, the children create imaginative poetry and artwork to accompany their own original compositions. It is such a beautiful thing to observe friendships develop among my piano students. I don’t have to ask anyone to help guide the blind students on or off the stage because my piano students are always happy to assist. With the addition of these gifted young pianists, a new spirit of cooperation and encouragement manifested within my studio. This has produced the greatest joy, together with wonderful musicianship.
Photo: The Blind Girl by Millais