Mainstream Employment in Music Production for Individuals who are Visually Impaired: Development of a Model Training Program

Abstract

It is widely agreed that unemployment and underemployment are major problems for adults who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision; Capella-McDonnall, 2005; Crudden, Sansing, & Butler, 2005; Leonard, 2000; Leonard & D'Allura, 2000; Loy, 2008; McDonnall & Crudden, 2009; Moore & LeJeune, 2008; Moore, Wolffe, & McDonnall, 2010; Truax, 2008). The literature is also replete with evidence that the transition from high school or college to work can be a complicated and frustrating experience for youths and adults who are visually impaired (McDonnall & Crudden, 2009). Work is an essential part of the lives of most adults, since holding a job provides the means to support oneself and one's family; to engage in a regular, predictable routine; and to experience satisfaction with work and self-esteem. Many individuals who are visually impaired have experienced successful and lucrative careers in the music industry as performing artists. However, little can be found in the literature on training programs that prepare individuals who are visually impaired for careers in the music production industry. This article summarizes a contemporary training program--the Chance music production program at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired (hereafter Miami Lighthouse), now in its fourth year--for persons who are visually impaired that was developed and implemented to enable clients with musical talent to acquire marketable skills that lead to employment and independence. ORIGIN OF THE PROGRAM The lead author, inspired by her own experience at Miami Lighthouse as a newly blind person who recaptured her executive skills and regained the ability to perform at a high level, wanted to do something about the dismal employment prospects that persons who are visually impaired face in the Miami area. Music, long a career path open to persons who are visually impaired, now offers many more work opportunities for people who are visually impaired than it has in the past because the occupational playing field has been leveled by digital technology and screen-reading software that are designed to interface with music industry-standard software. person who is visually impaired who has the proper training can be a sound engineer, for example, just as well as can a sighted person. gift from philanthropist Gloria Martin enabled the construction of a state-of-the-art production studio at Miami Lighthouse with a wide array of hardware and software; it was subsequently named in honor of Martin's friend, Henry Stone, producer of 23 gold and platinum records and a former client of Miami Lighthouse. Inaugurated on May 30, 2007, the Henry and Inez Stone Music and Sound Production Studio at Miami Lighthouse features a full array of music production hardware and software and a recording booth. Music instruction is historically linked with instruction of individuals who are visually impaired, as the many success stories of blind musicians attest. The initial goal of the music program was simply to cultivate potential musical talent in clients who are visually impaired. It quickly became apparent that the participants who are visually impaired could not only learn to use the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) technology with screen-reading software, but could also become just as proficient as sighted persons in using the technology for music production and sound engineering. This is an important development because learning to use MIDI helped clients, especially younger individuals, to cultivate marketable skills. In 2008, the program was strong enough that, through the expertise of professional instructors and the talent of the participants and with assistance from the Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County, Miami Lighthouse produced its first CD entirely in-house. It featured a title song, A Better Chance, which was written by an instructor. …