SibeliusSpeaking delivers the power and flexibility of the excellent notation program, Sibelius, to the blind user. SibeliusSpeaking combines a set of sophisticated scripts for the JAWS screen reader with tutorial documents and superb online help. That means that blind composers or arrangers can now independently transfer their creative musical ideas directly from their mind's ear to the printed page!
SibeliusSpeaking frees the blind composer to create music for all kinds of traditional or not-so-traditional ensembles, from string quartets, to jazz bands, symphony orchestras or (why not?) dueling tubas! You can print your music for any sighted person to read in the medium they recognize: conventional, staff notation.
With SibeliusSpeaking, you can learn to use Sibelius, one of the world's premiere notation tools. Enter notes from your PC's keyboard or with any MIDI (piano-style) musical keyboard attached to your PC's soundcard. Listen back to your composition and independently revise it until you're ready to print it up for your sighted teacher, colleague or student to read.
Ray Charles and Sibelius Speaking
Here's a note from Bill McCann, president of Dancing Dots, not long after Sibelius Speaking's debut presentation:
"As many of you have already heard, Ray Charles, the famous R&B artist, showed us how he has learned to use Sibelius with the SibeliusSpeaking scripts for JAWS to print out his own creative ideas. At a special event sponsored by Dancing Dots at the CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities conference in Los Angeles in March, 2003. Ray charted out 32 measures of an original jazz waltz scored for four saxes and a rhythm section in front of a capacity crowd which included Stevie Wonder and Dianne Schur. We printed out the parts, and assembled the band of sighted players who had been waiting outside the room. Ray told them: "Now, if I made any mistakes, *play* the mistakes!" He counted it off, the guys played it and it was perfect! It was, without question, an historic moment and, judging from the hugely enthusiastic response from the audience (not to mention the highly positive reaction from yours truly) we all knew we had witnessed a genuine bit of history. in the making!"
This release of SibeliusSpeaking is dedicated to the memory of Ray Charles. Ray certainly belonged to the music world at large but he also belonged to blind musicians everywhere in a unique way. Through his collaboration with David Pinto in the last 2 years of his life, Ray has left a genuine gift to all of us.
