Waltye Rasulala
On the afternoon of Feb. 13, the Nave at Church of Nativity was filled with the excited voices of children and a mixture of musical sounds. This was a pre-concert event of a Valentine concert by students from the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute. However, this was not just any concert, this was an event designed for those who are blind or have low vision.
As soon as the young people arrived they moved to the tables set up around the Nave with various string instruments for them to examine. This portion of the concert event was called a “Tactile Tour of Instruments”. Essentially an instrument “petting zoo”, it was an opportunity to touch, hold and even try to play the instruments they were about to hear. Excited children touched the inside of a cello that had been cut so they could feel inside of the instrument, the pegs, strings and the bow. NCCMI students served as guides, explaining to the children what they were feeling. Some of the children picked up the string instruments and tried their hand at playing. Others explored the inside of the beautiful piano with their fingers and felt the strings and keys and then listened to their fingers and felt the strings and keys and then listened to the sounds that were coming from the instrument.
Working with Arts Access, NCCMI provided audio descriptions through a special grant. All concert goers could scan a QR code on the program with their own devices. This gave them prerecorded descriptions of instruments, information about chamber music and the church space itself. In addition, special audio headsets were handed out to those with low vision or blindness to wear during the concert. A live audio describer sat at the back of the church and transmitted real time descriptions: what the musicians were wearing, what they looked like, what instruments they were playing as well as the music that was being played as the musicians hit the stage.
Since this was a Valentine’s Day concert the music was a variety of romantic music to honor the day. NCCMI Chamber groups played music from Mozart to George Gershwin to Billie Eilish. There was something for everyone!
At the end of the concert there was appreciative applause from the audience for performers and the opportunity to experience beautiful music in a whole new way. The expression of one young concert goer who was very shy about touching the instruments during the “petting zoo”, was a bright and joyous “thank you” as he skipped out of the Nave.
Thanks to our many Accessibility Committee volunteers, Arts Access partners, NCCMI musicians, Alfred Christensen (who managed the videotaping for the livestream) and especially the Church of the Nativity for helping present this day of joy and love to an audience of very special concert goers.
Note: This concert has been archived on the NCCMI YouTube Channel. It is freely available for viewing at any time.