Blind and partially-sighted musicians' lives: Insights into musical practices, participation and trajectories

该项目将调查业余和专业盲人和视障（BVI）成人音乐家的经历和生活轨迹。我们的目标是了解BVI音乐家在专业，业余和教育音乐社区中的接受或边缘化；他们参与不同的音乐风格，乐器，实践和角色；他们认为在整个生命历程中与个人发展和参与有关的机会和障碍，以及他们的适应策略；以及他们的学习实践，无论是在儿童时期还是成年后，比如，一个盲人专业音乐家如何准备一场音乐会。我们的初步研究结果表明，BVI音乐家倾向于感到，一方面，被排斥和歧视；另一方面，他们的能力在音乐家中广受尊敬。总之，迫切需要发展和分享信息，增进了解。这些发现将与音乐界的许多部分相关，包括管弦乐队等雇主，音乐学院和学校等教育提供者，音乐治疗组织，社区音乐团体等。我们的调查将从问卷调查开始，对700名目前在RNIB（皇家国家盲人研究所）注册为英属维尔京群岛音乐家的音乐家进行调查。调查将探讨音乐参与的人口统计数据（例如年龄，性别，乐器选择，开始或停止音乐参与的原因，音乐习语，培训背景等）。然后将邀请大约40名成年参与者提供详细的生活史访谈。受访者将代表一系列流派和器乐学科，包括专业和业余表演者、作曲家和教师。他们将有不同的年龄和视力丧失背景。这项研究将着眼于他们从童年到成年的音乐之路，他们的人生历程问题，他们的音乐实践，感知障碍，以及对音乐参与的成功适应。将在伦敦大学教育学院举行两次半天的研讨会，让受访者建立网络，反思初步发现并提供反馈，并在整个实地工作过程中寻求反馈。我们的试点受访者强调，有必要加入一个有共同残疾的音乐从业者社区，因为这预示着获得音乐发展所需的信息。将建立一个网站，供视力和英属维尔京群岛的游客访问。它将被搜索引擎优化，并链接到RNIB网站和其他著名的音乐行业网站；前面提到的调查将被链接到这个网站。该网站将协助招募参与者并分享有关反思研讨会、我们的主要会议活动和结果的信息。研究参与者也可以在博客上发表文章，从而协助建立英属维尔京群岛音乐家的全国网络。在得到受访者的同意后，这些博客评论将成为分析的一部分。最后，皇家音乐学院（RAM）已同意邀请PI， CI和RNIB的同事在LRAM文凭和开放学院课程中展示研究结果；通过这个平台，音乐专业的本科生将有机会与英属维尔京群岛的成年音乐家和儿童一起进行丰富多彩的实践体验。

The project will investigate the experiences and life trajectories of amateur and professional blind and visually-impaired (BVI) adult musicians. Our objectives are to understand the acceptance or marginalisation of BVI musicians within professional, amateur and educational musical communities; their involvement with different musical styles, instruments, practices and roles; opportunities and barriers they perceive in relation to personal development and participation throughout the life-course, along with their adaptive strategies; and their learning practices, both when they were children and into adult life, including how, for example, a blind professional musician prepares for a concert. Findings from our pilot study have indicated that BVI musicians tend to feel, on one hand, excluded and discriminated against; and on the other, highly respected amongst musicians generally for their abilities. Overall, there is a pressing need to develop and share information and increase understanding. The findings will be relevant for many parts of the musical community, including employers such as orchestras, educational providers including conservatoires and schools, music therapy organisations, community music groups, and others.Our investigation will begin with a questionnaire survey extended to 700 musicians who are currently registered with the RNIB (Royal National Institute for Blind People) as being BVI musicians. The survey will explore the demographics of musical participation (e.g. age, gender, instrument choice, reasons for starting or stopping musical participation, musical idiom, training background, and so forth). A purposive sample of approximately 40 of the adult participants will then be invited to contribute detailed life history interviews. The interviewees will represent a range of genres and instrumental disciplines, with a mix of professional and amateur performers, composers and teachers. They will be of various ages and sight-loss backgrounds. The study will look at their musical pathways from childhood to adulthood, their life-course issues, their musical practices, perceived barriers, and successful adaptations to musical participation. There will be two half-day seminars held at the Institute of Education, University of London to allow respondents to network, reflect on preliminary findings and offer feedback, and feedback will also be sought throughout the fieldwork process. Our pilot interviewees highlighted the need to belong to a community of music practitioners who share a disability, since this augurs for gaining information necessary for musical development. A website will be created that is accessible both to sighted and BVI visitors. It will be search-engine optimised and linked to the RNIB site and other prominent music industry sites; and the aforementioned survey will be linked to this site. The website will assist in recruiting participants and sharing information about the reflective seminars, our main conference event and findings. There will also be a blog to which the research participants can contribute, thus assisting in building a national network of BVI musicians. These blog reflections will become part of the analysis with respondents' permission. Finally, the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) have agreed to invite the PI, CI and RNIB colleagues to present findings within the LRAM diploma and Open Academy programmes; from this platform, outreach days will be formed that engage music undergraduates in powerful, life-enhancing practical experiences with BVI adult musicians and children.