Guide
The power of music and persistence
A music student with low vision shares her experiences on how to read sheet music using a bioptic and how she marched on the field.
From the squeaking noises of my early learning years to today I have certainly come a long way in my musical journey. When I was in 5th grade, band was a required course for students. I chose to play the clarinet as I liked that it was similar to the recorder that students played in our 4th grade music class. It was not long into the school year when my family figured out that I was having difficulty seeing the music. We than began the long trial and error process of figuring out the best way for me to read music.
The first method we tried was enlarging my band music onto 11 x 17 sheets of paper, just like my school assignments were enlarged. This did not work well as the music was still too small for me to see and the pages would frequently fall off my music stand and we also had to purchase a larger binder and special stand extenders. The next method we tried was enlarging the music and gluing it measure by measure onto manila folders. The music was now large enough that I could see it, however, it was very tedious to put together and required me to frequently flip pages, which meant that I would lose my place frequently. The next method I was very excited to try and it entailed downloading an app onto my iPad that would enlarge my music. The iPad was connected to a wireless foot pedal so that I could navigate through the music hands-free. However, as a young musician, it was very challenging for me to keep tempo with one foot and advance my music with the other.
Thankfully, by 7th grade, with the help of my low vision specialist, we figured out a way for me to read music using a tool that I already had. I had a bioptic that I used for reading the board in the classroom and we learned that if we put a special cap on the end of the bioptic, I could use it for closer distances such as reading music. This was a game changer in the way that I read music and it is the method I still use today, although my current bioptic is focusable so I don’t have to use caps to change distances.
I knew that I wanted to continue participating in band in high school, but I was unsure how I would participate in marching band with my low vision. In addition to struggling to read standard size print and see details in the distance, I also have reduced peripheral vision and very limited depth perception, which can make navigating around the field without running into others difficult. I mentioned my concerns to the band director, who was very understanding and suggested that I stand on the sidelines and play with the stationary percussion instruments. This method worked well and it wasn’t until the band traveled to a competition that I discovered a way that I could march.
At the competition, my family watched another band who had a blind clarinet player who was marching with a guide. I thought that was super interesting and wondered if that could be a way that I could march. I brought the idea up to one of my good friends and the band director who gave us the go-ahead. For the next few rehearsals before the upcoming game, my friend and I worked as a team learning the formations and learning how to march as one person. She would place her hands on my shoulders, walking behind me, signaling when to turn and in what direction. Since a flipbook was too small for me to see, I had to memorize my music for the show.
I don’t remember much about the show that game, but I do remember feeling extremely proud of myself and happy that I was able to participate in the marching band just like my peers. This one event fueled my love for marching band and inspired me to learn how to march independently going forward. I discovered that I WAS able to do something I didn’t previously think was possible. For the rest of my high school marching band career, I worked hard to memorize the music and my spots on the field so that I could march. I was even able to march on Ford Field when the varsity football team made it to the State Finals!
With my amazing experiences in high school, I knew that I didn’t just want to end there. I wanted to march in college. Unfortunately, the college I attend does not have a marching band. This meant that I would have to find another alternative. A neighboring university has a marching band and I decided to meet with their director to learn more and explain my intentions of becoming a guest student so I could march.
My journey to this point has not been easy, but it has totally been worth it. It has taught me that I can do hard things if I put my mind to them and to not be afraid of trying new or challenging things as I may find that I actually enjoy them.
By CWhodat
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