[Perform-Talk] Interesting and Unique: A Blind Orchestra from Egypt

[annedonnellon at gmail.com]

How cool is that!!!
A rarity for sure.  The world needs more diverse talent such as this😊.  Thanks for sharing.


-----Original Message-----
From: Perform-Talk <perform-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Ella Yu via Perform-Talk
Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2024 1:19 PM
To: NFB Performing Arts Mailing List <perform-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ella Yu <ellaxyu at gmail.com>
Subject: [Perform-Talk] Interesting and Unique: A Blind Orchestra from Egypt

Hey everyone, I am posting the following simply for interest and curiosity.



Through some (random) searching around online, I discovered that there is a very unique orchestra in Egypt comprised entirely of women and girls who are blind or have significant vision loss. The orchestra consists of around
45 musicians ranging in age from teenagers to adults in their forties. It is a full (albeit small) symphony, with standard string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. They play orchestral works typical in the western repertoire, such as Mozart and Tchaikovsky, as well as works by Egyptian composers and more oriental works.



As a fairly high level blind musician who plays violin and viola in orchestral settings, I find their story and situation very interesting, unique, and inspiring. They truly are a one-of-a-kind group, having overcome numerous social, economic, and cultural barriers to get to where they are today, and I think there are some interesting lessons to be learned from their story.



The Al Nour Wal Amal (translated as light and hope) Orchestra is run by the nonprofit association with the same name. This association was established in 1954 to provide academic and vocational training for blind women and girls to help integrate them into society. In 1961, the association established a music institute and orchestra to introduce blind girls to an art form they would excel at, and given them an outlet to express themselves. Since then, the orchestra has given many performances, both in Egypt and on tour around the globe.



The orchestra members learn and memorize their parts using braille music notation. The conductor then works with each section of the orchestra separately to help familiarize them with how their parts fit together before bringing the whole group together. Since all the musicians are blind, the conductor uses alternative rehearsal techniques to guide them to performance level. For example, he taps a baton on a table to help them learn the tempo, and sings the notes and melody to guide them into playing the right notes at the right time. The conductor is not usually onstage during performances; he counts them in at the beginning of the music but otherwise sits back to relax. You can learn more about how they rehearse by watching videos here <https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-20008432> and here <https://www.facebook.com/alnourwalamalaorchestra/videos/1191387861752376/>.
You can look up more videos of their performances on YouTube.



Most of the members of the orchestras have lives outside of music. Many have university degrees and jobs, some are married and have children. They come from middle and lower income family backgrounds. Most are Muslims, and all of them wear bright-coloured scarves and dresses on stage, rather than the typical black/white seen in western orchestras.



The orchestra members begin their musical education at around age 7 or 8.
They spend the first year becoming literate in music reading before they choose an instrument to learn. Once they are advanced enough, they join the orchestra. They do academics in the morning and music in the afternoons.



Although they do not play at the level of a western professional symphony orchestra, it is quite obvious to me that they play well together as an ensemble. I’d say they sound pretty similar to an intermediate-advanced youth or amateur community orchestra or a lower level non majors college orchestra. As you may know, western classical music is not big in Egypt, not to mention that there isn’t a lot of funding, so their playing level is expected given those circumstances. Still, I find it quite incredible that they thrive together in an orchestra, given their socio-economic and cultural situation.



The following articles and videos give a pretty good glimpse into their lives.

https://fellowsblog.ted.com/an-intimate-glimpse-into-a-remarkable-egyptian-orchestra-for-blind-women-23f6c1c9444f

https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm96/brlm9607.htm#8

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/170306.aspx

https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/33/41424/Arts--Culture/Music/Humbled-by-Music-Al-Nour-Wal-Amal-Orchestra.aspx

Overall, doing research on the Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra has been an eye-opener for me. Relative to the western world, Egypt is not a very accessible place to live for a blind individual, and with the lack of classical music culture overall, seeing a western classical-style orchestra thrive is quite the sight to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiZGlj0JlYk&pp=ygUbImVneXB0IiAiYmxpbmQiICJvcmNoZXN0cmEi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mg_5hlLg-8&pp=ygUXbmlsZSB0diBmaWtyeSBvcmNoZXN0cmE%3D

Here’s a master's degree thesis
<https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/445> which takes an interesting look at their situation.



My Personal Reflections



First of all, I find it very interesting how braille music literacy has been adopted in a location and situation where you kinda least expect it.
Let’s face it, most blind musicians who learn in a classical-oriented environment aren’t pushed to learn braille music to the degree they should, at least in my opinion, although that is slowly changing. From what I can tell, it is a ton of work for them to procure braille scores for large volumes of music, since they appear to be manually copying music onto sheets by hand using a slate and stylus. I personally think the process can be sped up a lot using the technology we’ve come to know in the western world, but the high costs of procuring and maintaining technology is understandably out of reach for them. I’m sure they do use computers, but they likely do not have the funds to purchase and maintain a braille embosser for printing out their braille music, for instance.



The alternative rehearsal techniques they use are also quite interesting.
They are quite different from what I’m used to in practice and performance, since I’m a blind musician playing alongside sighted musicians. I think there is quite a big difference between an orchestra that is comprised entirely of blind musicians and an orchestra where one or a few members are blind/visually impaired while everyone else is sighted. Seeing the situation of the Egyptian blind orchestra, I am incredibly grateful for all the technology I have access to that makes my life as a blind orchestral musician easier. Being able to locate recordings on the internet to practice along with is integral to how I learn and memorize my parts, and having access to a braille display and software that can convert MusicXML to braille is a huge blessing.



Overall, I think this is a unique and wonderful case study of how musicians with disabilities can partake in an art form that is traditionally not inclusive of differently able musicians. Let’s face it, there are many sighted musicians and educators who are concerned blind musicians can’t participate fully in orchestra because they can’t see the conductor, although this attitude is slowly changing. As this Egyptian blind orchestra and the personal experiences of myself and others show, not being able to see the conductor is not a major hindrance to full participation in large ensembles. Yes, you do lose some information from not being able to see the conductor, but there is a lot you can pick up from listening to your section-mates and the other musicians around you. In fact, I’ve seen my orchestra directors telling everyone to listen more and not be so buried in the music, which of course is a non-issue for me. There are things to overcome, and there are times when you may need the help of your fellow musicians to cue you after long pauses or tempo changes, but it can be done.



I also think there is a difference between being in a string section vs being alone on your part as a member of the woodwind, brass, or percussion sections. I noticed this for myself after a conversation on a mailing list with a blind trumpet player on this very topic. As a string player, there is an element of safety in numbers that just doesn’t exist in the other sections of the orchestra. For instance, if I’m not 100% sure exactly where to come in, I can get away with starting a fraction of a second late, and no one will really notice, since I’m one out of eight or ten people in a string section. (Pizzicato is a bit of an exception, in which case I might just miss the first note, and still, no one will really notice). On the other hand, if you’re alone on a woodwind, brass, or percussion part, you are much more exposed, which means you need to be much more precise and on the ball when it comes to timing. One challenging issue faced by string players, though, is the coordination of bowings. I myself haven’t really bothered to find a solution to this, and the only way I can be 100% certain that my bowings line up with my section is by going through the incredibly tedious process of going over bowings with a section mate, which just takes way too much time, not to mention bowings are something that can change quickly with a moment’s notice. In the Egyptian blind orchestra, I guess all bowings are already marked in the music ready to go, so everyone is just expected to follow it as written.



In conclusion, doing research on the Al Nour Wal Amal Orchestra has been an eye-opener for me. Relative to the western world, Egypt is not a very accessible place to live for a blind individual, and with the lack of classical music culture overall, seeing a western classical-style orchestra thrive is quite the sight to see. Generally speaking, inclusion of disabled citizens is much better in western countries than in the east, but there is lots of room for improvement everywhere.
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