[musictlk] Where The Blind work Acting/Performing Arts

Sat Oct 31 16:38:52 UTC 2009

What type of music do you perform, and if you play an instrument, what is that?
David

-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Slaughter <manutips at paulbunyan.net>
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 9:00 AM
To: 'NFBnet Music Talk Mailing List' <musictlk at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [musictlk] Where The Blind work  Acting/Performing Arts

Dear Sir,

I completed my form off line in Word, and would appreciate your
assistance in filing it in the proper doc format.

As I explained below, I am not in the acting field, but am a blind
musician, and feel my experience and suggestions would assist other
blind and visually impaired people to improve and develop their skill
and career.

Please e-mail me to let me know you received my message.

I am having many pc problems, and therefore, do not want to lose the
information I have prepared because of computer failure.

I hope what I have said will be useful and moreover, that you will
assist me by completing the online form, filling in the information I
have provided.

If you need any other information, please feel free to contact me again.

Best regards,
Elizabeth  Slaughter

The NFB Where the Blind Work Needs acting (performing arts) Job
Descriptions

We need job descriptions from any of you who are blind and are acting on
stage, in film or in ads. We need you to provide us with a description
of what acting is like, how you entered this profession and how you do
it. Your description will be added to the NFB's "Where the Blind work,"
a new and ever growing resource of career descriptions and how the blind
compete within them. This is a great resource to assist youth to plan
for future employment and for the adult who is looking to change jobs
and/or careers. 

Your description must follow the below five question format:
When completed please email them to me at newmanrl at cox.net 

 (A * indicates a required field):

1. * Name,

Elizabeth Slaughter
 * Industry in which you work,

church organist choir directress

 * Job title,

church musician

 Address

2620 Pearl Drive NE
Bemidji, MN 56601

 1, Address 2, City, State, Zip Code, Phone number, E-mail, 

* 2. Please explain to us what any worker would do on this job
(specialized blindness alternatives will appear below). 

I have done very little acting, but my career in music as a pianist in
adolescent years and church organist as an adult, may assist a visually
impaired or blind person on stage as well.

I must plan and prepare music selections for weekly church services and
arrange music selections for special events such as monthly or annual
musicals and anniversary programs.

I must train choirs, and often, direct, from the organ, where I am
playing.

I must perform spontaneously, and improvisation is critical in
performance on a weekly basis.

I have been called on to perform on many occasions on instruments where
my church choir sings when visiting other churches. Therefore, I am not
familiar with the church's musical instruments, the building, nor the
members in a given environment.

I have been called on several times to do many tasks unrelated to my job
as church organist, mainly, appearing in court for zoning issues, church
business meetings, or other situations relating to the function and
maintenance of a given church's license. In each and every instance, I
found my skill in reading and writing Braille critical. In today's
computer industry, both sighted and blind children and adults have moved
into technology, and basically, omitted the printed word from everyday
life. This is a disastrous situation for anyone, but  for a blind
person, ultimate academic and employment doom. There is absolutely no
way I would have been able to maintain my position as church organist
(as well as social worker and business manager), without applying
Braille in my everyday affairs. I suppose it's possible to build your
career without ever using Braille, but one thing is certain: you will
certainly be more successful, find your job far easier, be far more
respected by the sighted community, and have a more productive career if
you learn to read and write Braille and incorporate it in every aspect
of your career.

* 3. Please tell us the cause of your blindness.

Congenital blindness-extreme myopia, choreo retinitis, astigmatism,
nastagmus, glaucoma.

 Then, let us know about the alternative methods and/or techniques you
use to perform your job. 

Prepared song lists in Braille, and able to quickly refer to them while
seated at the organ.

Served as mistress of ceremony, and able to announce performers in
proper order, without having to use headphones and a tape recorder at
the podium.

 Prepared depositions in Braille, and able to read from the podium
effectively in court, without relying on sighted help.

* 4. Please let us know of any required special training, education,
certificates, experience, etc. needed for this job. 

I had private piano lessons and learned Braille music notation and music
theory.

I took private organ instruction, and developed my skill to improvise
and arrange hymns, anthems, spiritual and gospel music.

I am a former licensed Illinois secondary teacher, and hold a BA Degree
in sociology and secondary education, and have experience teaching
junior and senior choirs and giving piano lessons.

* 5. Please tell us about anyone or anything that aided you to be
successful.

I realized in elementary school that in order to be socially accepted,
academically and financially successful and independent, I would have to
work harder and more diligently than the average sighted student.
Whenever opportunities for enhancing my skills or advancing my career
passed by, I pursued them!

    (A joint project between the Jernigan Institute and the NFB Writers'
Division; for all people)

Visit  the "Where The Blind Work" at-

http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Blind_Work.asp?SnID=28992349 

_______________________________________________
musictlk mailing list
musictlk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/musictlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for musictlk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/musictlk_nfbnet.org/davidb521%40gmail.com