Music Computer Technologies in Informatics and Music Studies at Schools for Children with Deep Visual Impairments: From the Experience

Abstract

Music computer technologies (MCT) open up wide opportunities for blind students to more effectively study the diverse content and methods of presentation of educational material in Informatics, contributing to the achievement of positive learning outcomes in a shorter time. This is especially important for children who study in children’s music schools. Mastering of MCT by children with profound visual impairment has a number of characteristic features, which are most clearly manifested in the initial period of studying Informatics. With the help of contemporary computer technologies (speech synthesizers, Braille displays, etc.), as well as due to the possibility of using “hot keys” blind students quickly master many MCT-programs.

The main objectives of the lessons on musical informatics are: to study the basic concepts related to the receipt and use of information, both in school and in everyday life; to obtain skills in working with a computer and some peripherals. In the program considered by the authors of the article it is supposed to study the basic concepts and acquire the skills included in the existing programs in informatics, taking into account the fact that all tasks in informatics are based on materials related to music.

The program is designed in such a way that it is possible to perform the proposed tasks not only with the help of a computer keyboard and “hotkeys”, but also with the help of MIDI-keyboard. This is achieved by the connection between the actual music and informatics.

The authors also propose to consider the application software – a tool that would be accessible to the sighted and blind and would not cause difficulties in working with him/her both in some and in others: the exchange of information between the teacher and the blind student or vice versa - the blind teacher and the ordinary/seeing pupil.