[Perform-Talk] Introduction

[Roanna Bacchus]

Hi Julia welcome to the list. My name is Roanna Bacchus, and I am visually impaired. I joined this list a few years ago due to encouragement from a friend. I sang in my school and church choirs for a long time. Four years ago I graduated from the University of Central Florida with my Bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. I also have my minor in Mass Communications.

On Jul 20, 2020 8:53 AM, Julia LaGrand via Perform-Talk <perform-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hello all, 
>   I joined this listserv a few months ago, but just decided to become a member of the Performing Arts division, so I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Julia LaGrand and I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am 16 years old and a rising junior in high school. I currently study violin with professor Danielle Belen at the University of Michigan and have attended various summer festivals including Credo Music and Center Stage Strings. Pre-Covid, I participated in my school's orchestra, as well as a string quartet through my school and a piano trio through St. Cecilia Music School in downtown Grand Rapids. 
>   I decided to become a member of this division because I have encountered the apparent barriers that have come up, because of  blindness or the perceptions of mine/others about blindness, on my journey thus-far as a student violinist. I want to advocate for the performing arts as a blind performing artist and work to deconstruct these things that get in the way of blind performing artists. I am inspired by the examples of success in the performing arts in this division, and I can't wait to get involved! 
>   I am excited to actively participate in listserves and in a Facebook group, but don't know all that much about the work of the division to talk about other ways in which I'm interested in getting involved. I am very much still a student, but I love sharing my experiences being a blind performer so far, and learning from other blind performing artists. I love to make connections with others, fundraise, and most of all, learn from those "around" me more about the NFB, the Performing Arts division, and how to achieve success for myself and others as blind performers. I look forward to education, advocacy and art! 
> Thank you for taking the time to read that long email! 
> Julia LaGRAND 
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