This is the story of Rachel, who is the 5-year-old daughter of my friend. Rachel's mom and I originally met through the list for braille music. I am now very happy to have her contributions on the BVI-Parents list, and we also both participate on other lists as well. We have discussed having this story here on the Web site and hope that it will encourage someone.
Two additional pages concerning music instruction for children who are blind are available on this site.
The text on this page is edited from Jeanie's postings to various mailing lists regarding Rachel's progress and is shared with permission. For ease in reading, the links below will take you to the updates for specific days.
My name is Jeanie Flowers. My husband is Dan Flowers and our daughter is Rachel. Rachel was born on December 21, 1993. She was born 15 weeks premature and weighed only 1 pound 5 ounces. At the time of her birth, she had only a 50% chance of survival. But survive she did! However, there was a cost. At the age of 3 months, Rachel developed a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. As you can guess by the name, this was related to the conditions of her premature birth and subsequent treatment. Retinopathy is not uncommon in the tiny preemies like Rachel, but these days it is usually caught early enough that, with swift and aggressive treatment, there is minimal damage to the eyes. However, in Rachel's case, the disease was extremely progressive, and even the heroic efforts of her doctors were not sufficient to save her vision.
At the age of two and a half, Rachel was introduced to the piano. At first she did what all two year olds do and started banging on the keys. I took her hands and showed her that she could "gently" play the individual notes with her fingers, guiding her through "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." She figured out how to play that one by herself pretty darn quick. Then moved on to playing the melodies of all her favorite songs - Raffi, Barney, songs she heard us singing at home, songs off the radio. I showed her she could use both hands to play in octaves. She worked on that for a little while, then she realized octaves were boring, so she started adding harmony. I walked in one day to hear Rachel playing the tonic and fifth of a chord, while singing first the major third, then the minor third. I think she was three at the time. Once her hands were big enough, she moved on to playing full chords, then entire pieces. When she started playing songs I and her dad had written (chords, melody, Danny's guitar leads), I knew that I had to get her something more to reach for. I knew that she was going to go far beyond the limitations of popular music.
A side note - I have nothing against popular music, since that's where I live. It's the genre I perform and write and sing - it's what I listen to every day of my life. But harmonically and structurally it is a very limited medium. It was obvious that, if Rachel was already mastering popular music at the age of 3 and a half (after playing the piano for what? A year?), she needed room to stretch and breathe. I started tracking down tapes and CDs of classical music - Bach seemed to be a good place to start. Soon, along with the latest Shania Twain songs, we were hearing Rachel play Air for the G String and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. But the day we really knew we had a monster on our hands was the day I heard her play the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor from start to finish on my Roland D-50 (it has a pretty decent organ patch). Rachel was four years old at the time.
We wanted to be careful in our search for a teacher for Rachel. We knew that it couldn't be just anybody. We talked to a few people, looking for ideas. Then we got hooked up on the internet. By chance, one day, I came across an e-mail mailing list for Braille Music. I signed up, thinking I would just check it out and start getting an idea about the medium. I knew it was something we were going to have to deal with in the forseeable future anyway, so why not get started now? As I read the correspondences (I guess I am what you call a "lurker" on that list), I kept seeing one name over and over, Richard Taesch, and saw that he was affiliated with the Southern California Conservatory of Music (SCCM). I decided to send him an e-mail just to see if he had any ideas for us.
Well, one thing led to another. Richard, who teaches guitar, got us hooked up with Grant Horrocks, who teaches piano. Last Saturday we finally took Rachel up to play for Grant. It was quite a trek for us, it is about a three hour drive on a good day, so we made it a weekend trip and stayed with some friends who live at about the halfway point. I was a nervous wreck! Here we were taking Rachel to play for a teacher at a music conservatory, and with Rachel you never know if she will play or not (chances are she will, but you never know), and if she does play, will it be Bach's Prelude in C Major, or will it be "This Old Man?" You just never know! Of course, she plays a pretty hip arrangement of "Yankee Doodle," so that wouldn't be half bad. :-)
Well, we got there, Grant got there, and she did play. I think the first thing he heard her play was the Moonlight Sonata, which she just started working on. Grant worked with her for about a half hour (I am assuming - I never wear a watch and time was sort of not what I was thinking about at the time). It was an awesome thing to see. Remember, Rachel is only four and a half, so I had no idea how one would even begin to "teach" her on the piano. She is completely on her own agenda. But Grant was wonderful with her, and it wasn't like work. She was having fun. (This was one of our unspoken criteria - we were not interested in putting Rachel into some kind of rigorous training program - a piano "boot camp" - that would steal her joy of music. That would defeat the whole purpose, as far as we were concerned.) The conservatory was having a series of recitals that afternoon and into the evening, so Grant had to cut his time with Rachel short. But it was a very productive first meeting.
Grant later told us that while he has seen children who have the kind of ability Rachel displays, he has never seen it in a child as young as Rachel. (No, we're not proud of her or anything like that...RIGHT!) The current plan is that, considering that it is such a long drive, we will take Rachel up to work with Grant a couple of times a month. He will also be sending materials home with me so that I can work with her on a daily basis (he insists it's all within my grasp - we'll see!!). Dan is a student at SDSU, and we are currently on a limited income, so tuition was a huge concern, but before we could even bring it up, Grant told us not to even think about it - he would find someone to underwrite Rachel's tuition. We are still stunned.
So then we were trying to think, how are we going to afford the gas to get her up there twice a month? (We had already decided that we were going to do this one way or another, we just didn't know how.) Before we even had time to discuss it, another benefactor jumped in. The Lord is taking care of our needs, and it is an awesome thing to be a part of.
I'm sorry this has run so long already, but I have one more thing to tell you, then you can go on and have a wonderful life of your own!
Dan and I had been married 15 years when we learned I was pregnant. (I feel like Sarah in the Old Testament, and Rachel is the "child of my old age.") We were told early in our marriage that I could not even have children, so imagine our surprise!! Rachel has blessed our lives in more ways than I can even express to you, even in a longer letter than this one! We knew from the start that she was going to take our lives in directions we never dreamed of. When she lost her vision, we were obviously devastated. But God has dealt with us in this area. He has told us that His grace is sufficient, and we have to accept that. But apparently Rachel's blindness was only the beginning. I found myself wondering last night if God needed to free up those brain cells that would have been dedicated to Rachel's vision, because she was going to need them for her music. Silly, I know. But I don't know how God works, I just know He does. If Rachel weren't blind would we still be blessed by her? Of course! But the things she has taught us already in these past few years surpass all the knowledge we have acquired through formal education. I just want to encourage everyone to trust in God, even when you don't understand what is happening or why. We certainly have had our moments - when we thought we were going to lose her (the ER doctor told me I was "having a miscarriage"), when we learned she could lose her sight, and when she did lose it. How can you help but question God in such circumstances? But He has a plan for Rachel, and we are only beginning to see the path He has chosen for her. Please continue to pray for us that we are up to the challenge.
In Christ's love,
Jeanie Flowers
I am still learning about all this stuff myself, but here is what I do know: The Southern California Conservatory of Music has two locations - 8711 Sunland Boulevard, Sun Valley, CA 91352; and 245 Berkshire Avenue, La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011. I've got phone numbers, too: (818) 767-6554, and (818) 952-7126. The number for the Braille Music Division is (818) 790-5903. We went to the La Canada Flintridge location and it is a beautiful facility. Rachel played on a Steinway grand piano, and I'm trying to remember what year Richard said it was built, I'm thinking 1918 or somewhere in that vicinity. We walked her around it so she could "see" how big it was. For two days now she hasn't stopped talking about playing "the big piano!" Then she played a wonderful Yamaha grand that sounded even better.
I spent a year and a half talking about my Rachel yesterday, and wanted to just add a quick note about the Southern California Conservatory of Music.
I realized after the fact (I'm always better at hind-sight than at foresight) that I may have made it sound like the tuition to SCCM was cost prohibitive. Fact of the matter is, the tuition is competitive for a private school. We are just poor! Dan is a student, and Rachel has required all my attention so I have been a stay-at-home mom since she was born. We appreciate the efforts of the school to find a benefactor for Rachel (i.e. a scholarship or grant) so that she will be able to get the musical training she obviously requires! I don't think it's my place to publish SCCM's tuition and fees over the internet, but I wanted to give everyone a way to get hold of them since I have received some inquiries about the school already.
The Southern California Conservatory of Music has two locations:
8711 Sunland Boulevard, Sun Valley, CA 91352 and 245 Berkshire Avenue La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
Phone numbers for SCCM are: (818) 767-6554 and (818) 952-7126
The Braille Music Division has its own phone number: (818) 790-5903
And if you want to get right to the main guy for the Braille
Music Division, Richard Taesch can be reached at
We visited the La Canada Flintridge location, and it was
simply beautiful. The word "idyllic" comes to mind. After driving
through countless miles of smog infested Los Angeles County
freeways, we pulled off the 215 and within moments found
ourselves calmly driving down a country road surrounded by trees.
We entered the grounds of what could easily be mistaken for a
quaint Bavarian hamlet - a brick driveway, buildings of brick and
stone, a lovely pond, grassy lawns, even a gazebo on the grounds.
Our ears were filled with the sound of the wind passing through
the trees with no sign of the freeway traffic less than a mile
away. We climbed the staircase from the back parking lot and were
greeted by Richard Taesch's smiling face. He took us inside the
recital hall revealing hardwood floors and paneled walls. As we
entered the recital chamber, Richard led us across the carpeted
floor and presented Rachel with the choice of a Yamaha grand
piano, or the 1911 Steinway Grand. She chose the Steinway.
Instantly the room was filled with the sound of Bach's Prelude in
C Major. I guess all it really takes to inspire Rachel to play
her best stuff is a decent instrument upon which to play!
I've already told you how impressed I am with Grant Horrocks.
I think he is awesome. Watching him work with Rachel brought
tears to our eyes, she responded so well to him. Grant has
explained to us that current studies have shown a significant
connection between the studies of music and art with the
development of other congnitive abilities. For those of us who
are involved in music and/or art, this is no big surprise, but I
guess social scientists were shocked to learn this, and thrilled
to find something new to quantify! :^) Part of the program they
have in mind for Rachel incorporates O&M, and eventually Braille
Music literacy.
We attended a recital that afternoon of beginning and
intermediate students of piano and flute, and enjoyed every
minute of it. We were very impressed with the work these kids
were doing at the school and are excited that Rachel is going to
be affiliated there.
That evening as we left the property, our hearts were filled
with peace, yet overflowing with excitement. We are thrilled at
the opportunity to return.
One of the things we want to be certain of is that music is
always a joy to Rachel and not a chore. At about the time that we
were weighing the pros and cons of finding a teacher for her, I
saw a piece on the local news about a 13-year-old prodigy pianist
who was performing locally. They showed video footage of this boy
at the age of 6 playing the piano, along with more current
footage. In both cases he looked deadly serious. He didn't look
like he was having any fun at all! I swore I would never impose
music lessons on my child if it meant stealing her joy. (BTW, I
have an almost violent opposition to the currently popular "child
prodigy" type concerts, but that's another tome. Maybe some
day...) Everyone who sees Rachel play always comments on how
happy it makes her. She laughs and giggles and just has a great
time. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Not that there isn't
work involved - I look at the discipline of musicianship as a
tool Rachel will use to free up her own creativity in the future.
I want her to have the option of reading the composer's own
intention via braille music, then making her own interpretive
choices regarding the music.
We don't know that Rachel has "perfect pitch," per-se, but she
definitely has "pitch recognition." She does not seem to be
bothered by variations in pitch, otherwise how could she stand to
listen to Indonesian Gamelan? However, she definitely prefers a
well-tuned piano to one that is out of tune. In fact, when she
was only about a year and a half old, we visited a church in
which the primary instrument was the guitar. This one was badly
out of tune - it was hurting our brains! We were sitting in the
congregation, and Rachel stood up on Dan's lap and started crying
out, "Music stopped, music stopped!" We were quickly ushered into
the nursery. I may have mentioned before that in my first conversation with
Grant on the telephone, he recommended that I restrict Rachel's
"serious music listening" to Baroque and very early classical
music, the reason being that once you start getting into the
classical period, music theory begins to be deconstructed. Well,
that was before he actually met Rachel. Part of Rachel's music
lesson this weekend consisted of listening to some different
types of music with Grant watching Rachel's reactions to them.
Some kinds of music are totally predictable to her, and she
becomes bored with them fairly quickly. ("Early" music, and
Baroque music, for example.) Other things were so unpredictable
to her, getting into the modern period of composition, that she
would fidget and get very nervous while listening to them. She
found jazz music to be very exciting and fun - she went to the
piano and started jamming along with it. She tends to enjoy
orchestral music, too - there's so much going on. So now, after
working with her for a while and observing her, Grant is putting
together a series of tapes for her to listen to consisting of
music that should stretch and challenge her, without totally
putting her off. That's the plan, anyway. Grant told us, "I'm no
expert in this," but so far, with one initial meeting and one
lesson, he is getting positive results from her already.
Well, there was quite a long space in time between Rachel's
first and second lessons, due largely to schedule conflicts
(mine), and waiting for all the details to work out in getting
the Kawai grand here for her to play. Then, once we finally got
the piano here, Grant wanted Rachel to have a couple of weeks to
get used to it before having us drive up for another lesson.
She finally had her second lesson last Saturday. At first, it
did not go well. She didn't want to play at all! Very frustrating
after driving for three hours! Finally, Grant left the room for a
minute to see if I could get her going. I did. He came back, and
then she didn't want to play anything she and I had been playing.
Then, as a last resort (or a sudden brainstorm, maybe), I
suggested she play something from "Titanic." That was the ticket.
She launched right into this awesome piece from the movie -
something with huge chords and rumbling bass - very impressive.
Rachel LOVES the soundtrack to Titanic. That gave Grant something
to work with.
He worked with her for a long time, then he and I talked. (1)
I need to seriously limit her time on the electronic keyboards.
The touch is too easy on the keyboards, and she needs to build
her finger strength for the piano. [as a side note, seems to me
like this will aid in her braille readiness as well] (2) I am
going to be taking Rachel up for lessons much more frequently,
hopefully every other week, even if it KILLS me. Actually, this
last trip wasn't half bad. As long as I choose my driving time
carefully, I can miss the nasty LA traffic.
Point three is more complex. What it boils down to is this:
Anything Grant plays for Rachel, she can mimic. He had her
alternately playing bass and melody on a musical theme from the
Titanic, while he played the other. When he would change key, she
was right there with him. When he played a melody, she copied it.
To paraphrase Grant, he said he spends hours and hours with most
children just trying to get them to do what Rachel apparently has
been born with. "This is not academic." Or, in other words, she
is not learning anything by doing something she already knows how
to do. So, the next step, and it may be a hard one, is getting
Rachel to venture out and start playing melodies of her own.
(Well, Mozart did it at 5, right???? YIKES!!) To quote Grant, "I
want to get to the point where I am mimicking her."
The main problem I am having is that, as I told Grant, Rachel
listens to so many different things that when I hear her play
something that is unfamiliar to me, that doesn't necessarily mean
that it is "new." Rachel remembers everything she hears, and she
can play it back for you whenever she wants, and in any key! So I
am working with her every day. Again, I'm not a pianist, but one
of the things I have been doing with her is playing songs I have
written, and songs we sing in church (I play chords, basically).
I notice that while I am playing the chords, Rachel will
sometimes play the melody, or play the same thing I am playing
but in a different register (higher or lower), and I think I am
hearing her beginning to "venture out." On the other hand, I
can't be sure. She may be playing the keyboard part she heard Bob
play, or the piano line Ken played, or the guitar solo her dad
played, or a bass line she heard Kevin play, or who knows(???).
But it does seem to me that she is, at the very least, starting
to pull from various sources to put together her own
interpretations of the songs. Seems like a good start to me, but
what do I know??
We have been attempting to take Rachel up for piano lessons
every week lately since we have had no band gigs to interfere on
the weekends. (We decided to take a little break from playing
out, hopefully to work on a CD project of our own!) So far, each
week it has been better and better. We went up on Labor Day
weekend for one lesson. Aside from the obvious traffic problems
(and the flat tire we had on the freeway), it was a great trip.
Took Rachel a little while to start playing for Grant, but once
she got started she was great. Remember I wrote that we wanted
her to start initiating more on the piano instead of just playing
what she heard Grant play? Well, she did. And in a big way! Both
she and Grant were laughing. It was very exciting and very fun.
Then, last Friday Dan drove Rachel up for another lesson. They
went into the studio, Rachel sat down at the piano and she was
ready to go. She is getting into the routine now, which is what
we had hoped would happen with more frequent visits. Grant took
the opportunity to give Dan a little lesson in music theory. Dan
brought home two sheets of staff paper with Rachel's "homework"
on it. Standard resolutions to diminished chords! (If this means
nothing to you, don't worry! I didn't learn about this stuff
until college music theory. Then I immediately forgot it!) Grant
says that Rachel already understands basic music theory (I've
been telling people that for the last year), so we need to push
forward so she doesn't get bored. We are also working on helping
her use her "perfect pitch" - learning note names, singing
solfege. We are BUSY around here! But it is so exciting. I take
her up this weekend for a lesson, then I think we have a gig the
next week so won't be able to take her. But we are making major
progress here.
It is really funny, because a lot of people ask about Rachel's
lessons and how they are going. I thought that it would be
exciting for maybe the first couple of lessons, then it would
just settle into a routine - nothing interesting to report - but
so far every lesson is an adventure of one kind or another. We
are having a blast!
Last July we contacted the Southern California Conservatory of
Music - Braille Music Division, simply in hopes of getting some
help in finding the right piano teacher for Rachel. The teachers
at the conservatory flipped over Rachel - they even admonished us
for ^Ówaiting so long to bring her in^Ô (she was only four and a
half!), and offered her a full scholarship. Since that time, we
have been making the three-plus hour drive (depending on traffic)
as often as possible for her piano lessons. In a perfect world,
we would do it once a week. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes it
is a month between lessons. But it is always worth it. Her
teacher is wonderful with her, and the benefits of her music
lessons go way beyond music. For example - When we first took
Rachel to meet Grant (her teacher), she was practically non-
verbal. When she did talk, she was echolalic. A little over a
month ago, we started teaching her the note names (she also has
perfect pitch, by the way). She learned them in a flash, and by
golly if she didn^Òt start talking up a storm, too! Now when I
pick her up from school she tells me everything she did, and when
we say her prayers at night, she has a few things to say to God
herself! It was truly amazing! Rachel is in year-round school
(mainstreamed in a regular pre-school with a Braille Institute
Aide), and at the time we taught her the note names she was on a
three week break. When she went back to school, all her teachers
were flabbergasted! ^ÓThis is a different child!^Ô is what her
Aide said. I went to pick her up from the VI and she practically
leaped out of her chair. ^ÓWhat did you do with her over the past
three weeks? This is amazing!^Ô The only thing I can come up with
is that learning how to verbalize her music opened the door for
her in all areas of communication. Yes, she still gets echolalic
sometimes, but we can snap her out of it now. It is like a
miracle.
This weekend we took her up for another lesson, and to hear a
piano recital at the school. Grant was very keen to have Rachel
and Dan and I hear this particular pianist, because she started
out just like Rachel. Her name is Stephanie Pieck, and she has
been blind all her life. Well, the lesson was great, and the
recital was wonderful, but Rachel fell asleep during the second
piece. At the intermission, the director of the Braille Music
Division came over to us. Turned out they wanted to have Rachel
play a little bit during the break, but she was busy sawing logs!
She^Òd had a long day, and I think they sometimes forget she is
only four years old! But Grant made it very clear to Dan and I
after the recital that Rachel is capable of becoming just as
accomplished a pianist as Ms Pieck, and I am telling you, she was
very, very good. If you are at all familiar with classical music,
let me just tell you that she tackled Mozart^Òs Sonata in A Major
K. 332 (the Rondo section is a real workout), and Chopin^Òs
Scherzo in B Flat Minor, Opus 31, which brought the house down.
Also at this little weekend meeting at the school, they talked
to us about getting Rachel started working with music midi
programs on the computer. This would teach her computer skills
which would be transferrable. And as if that weren^Òt enough,
they want to get her started learning braille music. Rachel is
not yet reading braille, so this was quite a surprise to hear,
but they believe that with her aptitude and interest in music,
she will pick up the braille music very quickly. Their experience
has been that with kids like Rachel, once they learn braille
music, they jump right into literary braille.
Okay, I finally have a couple of minutes to bring you up to
speed on what's happening with Rachel these days. We have all
been pretty busy. Rachel is still going to the Music
Conservatory, but her lessons have been expanded. At first we
were just driving her up for piano lessons. Now she is involved
with a whole program at the school - she still has her private
piano lessons, but her teacher is concentrating more on mechanics
(fingering, the "geography" of the keyboard, learning to use
spatial awareness to locate the notes rather than just relying on
her ear...) and also learning braille music code. In fact, music
literacy is our big goal for this year. People are always asking
Rachel, "What pieces are you working on," and the answer is,
"none." As her teacher told me, "Rachel came here already knowing
how to play. That was already hard-wired in her brain when she
got here." It is his job as a teacher to teach her something she
doesn't already know how to do, and to help her expand on her
talents. Also, a lot of what Grant does with Rachel involves
teaching her concepts of music theory.
After her piano lesson, she goes to a computer music class
where they are learning to use computers and electronic keyboards
to sequence music. We are in the process of getting Rachel her
own computer system so she can practice these skills at home as
well.
Then all the kids go to what they call Listening Class - it's
sort of like a music appreciation class for blind musical prodigy
kids. They will listen to a piece and the teacher will ask them
questions like, "What key was that in? Was that in a major key,
or a minor key?" And they will know the answers! Or he will have
them clap the rhythm of the trumpets together or some such thing.
It's just a great experience for all of them.
After that, if he has time, Grant will spend some more time
with her, or at least go over her lesson with me so I know what
we are practicing that week.
I have been taking her virtually every Saturday for a while
now, but it has been hard for me. It's a good 2 1/2 hour drive
each way if there is no traffic, and I usually make pretty good
time, but Orange County can be brutal on the way home.
Rachel started kindergarten this week, and so far so good! She
is getting braille instruction every day - I am so excited! Her
materials are being adapted so that she has tactile equivalents
to the visuals the other kids are using, and her written
materials are being brailled. We think this is going to be a
great year for her!
July 1, 1998
July 13, 1998
August 28, 1998
September 14, 1998
November 15, 1998
September 3, 1999