One from the heart: Charles Hazlewood's Paraorchestra

[Flosshilde]

Not really posting this to start a discussion (although one - or several - will probably develop ) & I don't have any particular comment to make about it. I just thought people might like to see it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jun/27/charles-hazlewood-british-paraorchestra

[MrGongGong]

Great to see Rolf
and some other great musicians

[french frank]

Questioning the absence of so-called 'disabled musicians' in orchestras is a reasonable one: why should any particular disability prevent any musician from performing? So why aren't they there (other than that they are part of a minority, and many minorities are statistically bound to be absent from any random group).

But Quasthoff, Perlman, Glennie: they haven't been invisible on the international scene. And the only question that really matters is, what evidence is there that talented musicians can't realise their full potential, apart, of course, from their particular condition? If it is the case, it should be looked into, but 'accessibility' (in that sense) is now so high profile it may not be other than that professional musicians are a small minority of the population, so the chances of many other minorities being included in their number become quite small.

[Boilk]

...why should any particular disability prevent any musician from performing?

Well because if you've got only one hand, you're probably not going to make it as a violinist or bassoonist until cybernetics catches up with the needs of budding one-handed violinists and bassoonists. Fortunately this is less of a hurdle for, say, a one-handed pianist.

Notwithstanding purely physical hurdles for certain instruments, most musicianship obviously begins in childhood through parental ambition for the child's cultural development. For a disabled/partially-disabled child that parental ambition all too often evaporates in the face of diverting time, money and energy into giving the child as normal a life in more everyday matters, or else incorrectly assuming that musical pursuits will bear no ultimate fruit due to the disability. Of course the latter 'logic' overlooks the therapeutic benefits of music, as well as the fact that group music-making can compensate for the social isolation that many disabled youngsters have to contend with at school.

[MrGongGong]

When my son was diagnosed with Aspergers
the psychologist ended the consultation with the words
"yes your son has Aspergers Syndrome, help yourself to a viola from the pile by the door on your way out"

(there plenty of disabled people in music not always visible though ! which is not to say that there isn't a lot to be done to challenge our perceptions )

[french frank]

Well because if you've got only one hand, you're probably not going to make it as a violinist or bassoonist until cybernetics catches up with the needs of budding one-handed violinists and bassoonists.

I think what I was getting at (can never be sure after a delay of a few days) was that the first important discovery is the musicality of the child. If the child shows a particular basic aptitude - good sense of rhythm, singing in tune, for example - I presume an instrument would ideally be chosen for its suitability to that child i.e. a child with one arm, as you suggest, might not be offered a violin. As a query, how often would voice be chosen as the most suitable instrument for individual tuition and development?

[Boilk]

As a query, how often would voice be chosen as the most suitable instrument for individual tuition and development?

Good point, I think singing comes naturally to nearly all children. I recall from school that only very few children indeed are tone deaf - they stuck out like a sore thumb during school assembly!

[Dave2002]

When my son was diagnosed with Aspergers
the psychologist ended the consultation with the words
"yes your son has Aspergers Syndrome, help yourself to a viola from the pile by the door on your way out"

Sounds like another person with a great "bedside" manner!

[MrGongGong]

I guess you dOnt do jokes ????