Connect the Dots Event Showcases Accessible Music Solutions

As the holiday season approaches, The Dot Experience decided to jumpstart the fun with our final Connect the Dots program of 2024. On Saturday, December 14, guests attended the “Touching Sound: Hands on Harmony” event at the Jeffersontown branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. Visitors discovered the unique techniques used by musicians who are blind or have low vision to master their craft, including tactile feedback and auditory skills. They were also shown how APH products can aid students in their music education. 

December’s program contained five stations for children and families to explore. Every half hour, one of our volunteers read a letter Helen Keller wrote to the New York Symphony Orchestra in March 1924 about her experience with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. By placing her hand on the radio receiver, Helen was able to feel the vibrations from the music and voices of the singers. Afterwards, a musician who is blind played “Ode to Joy,” which is part of the final movement of the symphony. 

Our most popular station emulated Helen’s experience as it showed participants what sound can feel like. Meg Outland-Stewart, The Dot Experience Education and Engagement Coordinator, commented, “Mixing cornstarch and water, guests created a slime that’s both solid and liquid called oobleck. When placed on a speaker, guests were able to feel and see the oobleck dance to lively music – think Stevie Wonder, Queen, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor. We had everyone in the room feeling the beat!” 

In another station, participants used APH’s Music Braille Wheel and a labeled keyboard to decode different songs. First, they spun the wheel to find the matching braille on the keyboard. Then, they wrote down the decoded notes in order, played them on the piano, and guessed the song. This gave guests a glimpse of how students work to learn an instrument with braille music. 

The last two stations had participants jamming out. In one, APH staff invited them to utilize the Joy Player to listen to songs from our Blind Musicians Collection. Using its two music cartridges, guests heard a range of tunes from fun jazzy numbers to Christmas carols. The collection will be featured at an upcoming listening station at APH, but for now, everyone can check out our full Spotify playlist. The final station allowed participants to make their own music with egg shakers, maracas, a ukulele, tambourine, and many more instruments, underscoring the point that every person can be a musician. 

The Connect the Dots series will continue next year. Our first program is the 2nd Annual Teen College & Career Fair on Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 10 AM to 4 PM at the main branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (301 York Street, Louisville, KY 40203). Geared toward students ages 14-19, the fair includes a vendor hall, which will feature numerous school and organizational representatives, as well as interactive sessions. We look forward to attending this important event. 

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