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Hi PAD Friends,<br>
Thought you might enjoy the following story from the U of Nevada, Las
Vegas student paper "The Rebel Yell." I particularly like the fact
that he was told that music is a "visual art." The text is below the
link just under my name.<br>
Donna<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/04/27/blind-composer-strikes-a-chord/">http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/04/27/blind-composer-strikes-a-chord/</a><br>
Blind composer strikes a chord <br>
<br>
April 27, 2009 by <br>
Alexandria Daniels <br>
<br>
Lecture recounts story of perseverance over disability<br>
<br>
Blind composer strikes a chord<br>
<br>
Turkish composer Koray Sazli has spent his life pursuing his musical
ambitions and is now dedicated to helping others pursue their own.
Courtesy Photo<br>
<br>
Turkish composer Koray Sazli truly knows what it means to overcome
hardship and make dreams come true.<br>
<br>
Sazli, an accomplished composer of orchestral music, has been blind
since the age of 9.<br>
<br>
He recounted how he overcame his disability and started on his path as
a musician in his Friday lecture, titled “Composer In Sight:
Perspectives of a Blind<br>
Composer.” <br>
<br>
“It was the kind of inspiring story you don’t hear often,” said
Michelle Gumataotao, a student who attended. <br>
<br>
Sazli, born in 1973, learned to play the piano shortly before he began
to lose his sight. He had aspired to be a professional soccer player
and for a while<br>
remained undeterred by his disability, continuing to play for some time
after he became blind.<br>
<br>
Then one day he ran into a tree in his back yard.<br>
<br>
“It was then when I realized I [couldn’t] play soccer anymore,” Sazli
said.<br>
<br>
Choosing instead to pursue music he was accepted to the Mimar Sinan
State Conservatory in Istanbul at the age of 11 and began to study
classical guitar.<br>
Throughout his studies, challenges arose as Braille music books were
not available and his college acceptance committee felt the school was
not equipped<br>
with the proper materials for him.<br>
<br>
A member of the committee even told Sazli that “music is a visual art
and pleaded with him not to attend the school, but he persisted.<br>
<br>
“No one can make me stop studying composition,” Salzi said. <br>
<br>
Looking for further education, he eventually came to the U.S. and found
himself in Boston in 1995.<br>
<br>
Sazli learned English at the Carroll Center for the Blind, before being
accepted to Boston University where, after some resistance, Sazli
passed his exams<br>
and achieved a master’s and ultimately earned his doctorate.<br>
<br>
Sazli then tackled the challenge of his composition process. For his
first recorded composition, he used a Braille writer, a piano and a
tape recorder,<br>
slowly punching in his composition. But the process was tedious and
inefficient.<br>
<br>
“It’s impossible to redo [anything],” Sazli said, noting that the
Braille writer permanently leaves a hole in the paper.<br>
<br>
Sazli used the process until 2000. Then he switched to Braille Lite 40,
a digital program that makes the writing easier.<br>
<br>
“Now I’m living,” he joked.<br>
<br>
Sazli also shared the story of a friend who was born blind,
highlighting the differences between visually disabled individuals. He
said he doesn’t have<br>
to “imagine” colors, as he knows them from his childhood. But when he
asked his friend if she had to, he was surprised. He assumed she could
only see black.<br>
<br>
“She doesn’t know what black is,” he said.<br>
<br>
Sazli sampled two of his compositions for the lecture audience. He
played his first composition, which was inspired by a poem from the
early days of the<br>
Turkish republic.<br>
<br>
The composer described the second piece he played that evening, titled
“Capricco Alla Danza,” as a song for international audiences.<br>
<br>
To close the evening’s lecture, Sazli showcased three versions of one
composition to the audience, highlighting his creative process.
Attendees saw editions<br>
written in Braille and in standard music notation both manually and
electronically.<br>
<br>
Sazli is currently the director of audio design at Yildiz Technical
University in Istanbul. His goal is to develop and improve technology
to help blind<br>
students around the world with their studies.<br>
Blind composer strikes a chord <br>
alt text<br>
<br>
April 27, 2009 by <br>
Alexandria Daniels <br>
<br>
Lecture recounts story of perseverance over disability<br>
<br>
Blind composer strikes a chord<br>
<br>
Turkish composer Koray Sazli has spent his life pursuing his musical
ambitions and is now dedicated to helping others pursue their own.
Courtesy Photo<br>
<br>
Turkish composer Koray Sazli truly knows what it means to overcome
hardship and make dreams come true.<br>
<br>
Sazli, an accomplished composer of orchestral music, has been blind
since the age of 9.<br>
<br>
He recounted how he overcame his disability and started on his path as
a musician in his Friday lecture, titled “Composer In Sight:
Perspectives of a Blind<br>
Composer.” <br>
<br>
“It was the kind of inspiring story you don’t hear often,” said
Michelle Gumataotao, a student who attended. <br>
<br>
Sazli, born in 1973, learned to play the piano shortly before he began
to lose his sight. He had aspired to be a professional soccer player
and for a while<br>
remained undeterred by his disability, continuing to play for some time
after he became blind.<br>
<br>
Then one day he ran into a tree in his back yard.<br>
<br>
“It was then when I realized I [couldn’t] play soccer anymore,” Sazli
said.<br>
<br>
Choosing instead to pursue music he was accepted to the Mimar Sinan
State Conservatory in Istanbul at the age of 11 and began to study
classical guitar.<br>
Throughout his studies, challenges arose as Braille music books were
not available and his college acceptance committee felt the school was
not equipped<br>
with the proper materials for him.<br>
<br>
A member of the committee even told Sazli that “music is a visual art
and pleaded with him not to attend the school, but he persisted.<br>
<br>
“No one can make me stop studying composition,” Salzi said. <br>
<br>
Looking for further education, he eventually came to the U.S. and found
himself in Boston in 1995.<br>
<br>
Sazli learned English at the Carroll Center for the Blind, before being
accepted to Boston University where, after some resistance, Sazli
passed his exams<br>
and achieved a master’s and ultimately earned his doctorate.<br>
<br>
Sazli then tackled the challenge of his composition process. For his
first recorded composition, he used a Braille writer, a piano and a
tape recorder,<br>
slowly punching in his composition. But the process was tedious and
inefficient.<br>
<br>
“It’s impossible to redo [anything],” Sazli said, noting that the
Braille writer permanently leaves a hole in the paper.<br>
<br>
Sazli used the process until 2000. Then he switched to Braille Lite 40,
a digital program that makes the writing easier.<br>
<br>
“Now I’m living,” he joked.<br>
<br>
Sazli also shared the story of a friend who was born blind,
highlighting the differences between visually disabled individuals. He
said he doesn’t have<br>
to “imagine” colors, as he knows them from his childhood. But when he
asked his friend if she had to, he was surprised. He assumed she could
only see black.<br>
<br>
“She doesn’t know what black is,” he said.<br>
<br>
Sazli sampled two of his compositions for the lecture audience. He
played his first composition, which was inspired by a poem from the
early days of the<br>
Turkish republic.<br>
<br>
The composer described the second piece he played that evening, titled
“Capricco Alla Danza,” as a song for international audiences.<br>
<br>
To close the evening’s lecture, Sazli showcased three versions of one
composition to the audience, highlighting his creative process.
Attendees saw editions<br>
written in Braille and in standard music notation both manually and
electronically.<br>
<br>
Sazli is currently the director of audio design at Yildiz Technical
University in Istanbul. His goal is to develop and improve technology
to help blind<br>
students around the world with their studies.<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Read my articles on American Chronicle:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885">http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885</a>
For my bio & to hear clips from The Last Straw:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill">http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill</a>
Apple I-Tunes
phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.padnfb.org">www.padnfb.org</a>
</pre>
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