Whilst most of us are still hanging onto the summer, if you sing in a choir the chances are you will soon be turning your attention to Christmas concerts and carols. If you need your music in accessible formats, now is a good time to start planning how you can find these in time to enjoy rehearsals.
Enlarged or Modified Stave Notation
If you struggle to read standard print notation, you may have experimented enlarging the music onto sheets of A3 with varying degrees of success. If so, you may find Modified Stave Notation helpful. RNIB has modified several popular choral scores including Handel's Messiah as part of the See to Sing project. These parts can be borrowed from the RNIB National Library Service.
If the work you are singing is not available you can request a modified version from RNIB Transcription Centre, Southwest by telephone on 01752 690 092. Alternatively, if you, or someone you know has a copy of Sibelius music software, you could produce your own score with your own modifications. The RNIB Music Advisory Service can offer suggestions for anyone wishing to do this.
Braille music
If you read braille music, you may find that the score you want is already available for loan or for sale from RNIB by searching the library catalogue. If not, you can have the music transcribed. There are several braille music transcribers offering services at various rates and within varying time scales, so ring them to discuss your requirements.
It is also possible that someone already has a copy of the piece you want, so why not join the Braille Music Chat list to contact other braille music readers? Send an email to braille-music-chat-requests@yahoogroups.com.
For shorter pieces, some people find it quicker to enlist the help of a willing volunteer to create their own braille score by having the music dictated.
Learning by ear
If you prefer to learn by ear, there are several options.
Choralline produce recordings designed as learning tools to help singers learn their parts and prepare for rehearsals. There are recordings for over 120 popular works which can be found on their website. The parts are available on CD or to download as MP3 files.
Saffron Choral Prompt, founded by Quintus Benzinger, produce learning CDs with piano accompaniment aimed at singers learning music by ear. Their January 2011 catalogue is available to download from their website.
Whatever your preferred format, you may also find it helpful to record parts of your rehearsal to refer back to.
We'd love to hear from you about your experience of singing in choirs and using music in different formats. Email us with your stories to mas@rnib.org.uk.
Enjoy your singing, and happy rehearsals!