A new phonetic system for braille readers promotes inclusive learning for aspiring classical singers with visual impairments. The system, which is well-supported with digital resources for online private and group instruction, delivers phonetic symbols through a device designed to convert text to braille. The novel system and its digital content are especially useful now, during the COVID-19 outbreak, when online learning is ramping up for all students.

Cheri Montgomery, Vanderbilt professor at the Blair School of Music, created the new system to assist a student who enrolled in her lyric diction course in 2015. She quickly discovered a lack of resources in braille for the study of English, Italian, German and French repertoire. She developed an easily accessible phonetic system and helped the student complete the course as an independent study. Her work in the following years continued to focus on creating new resources for English, Italian, German, French and Latin diction courses using the novel phonetic system. Full story.

Joan Brasher (Vanderbilt University) / May 11, 2020

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