Teaching Visually Impaired Children The Piano On A Banana Keyboard

There are many students in special educational settings who have a visual impairment or low vision as well as a physical disability. As part of a well rounded and balanced curriculum, these students will often complete music as a part of their general class program as well as in a music class with a specialist music teacher or music therapist. In either of these settings adaptive equipment such as the banana keyboard can be a great asset, as it allows students with dual or multiple disabilities to take independent control of playing an instrument, and make a valuable and fabulous sounding contribution to a musical performance. As a teacher, it is important to think through issues such as:

• providing physical access to a keyboard which does not overly tire the student or place them in a physically awkward or uncomfortable position
• allowing time to explore the keyboard and discover what it can do before introducing structured activities
• positioning the keyboard in a safe and stable position so it cannot be knocked over accidentally
• considering the cost of a banana keyboard versus the cost of a range of other 'low tech' instrumental options
• planning how the banana keyboard can be used by individual students to meet specific needs
• writing musical outcomes based on the keyboard into learning goals and curriculum plans
• how the keyboard will be accessed by individual students - will they use a switch to activate it or will they access the keys directly?

The banana keyboard is a tool for making piano music for low vision or visually impaired students and which is also suitable for children with physical disabilities. It has bright yellow keys which are large and so easy to touch and see. The keyboard is shaped like a banana (hence the name) and fits the natural curve of the arm, therefore promoting easier physical access than with a straight keyboard. It has sixteen keys and can be programmed to make specific sounds when each key is touched.

Using the banana keyboard is fairly straight forward, although it is worth chatting to a therapist if there is one available at your school about the best position for individual students to promote the best access to the keyboard. You could also consult a music specialist as the keyboard is used as part of special access kits in some settings. For low vision students who can see some color, the keyboard is bright yellow and has large keys which are easy to see. For physically disabled students the banana keyboard can be placed on a table top or directly onto the tray of a wheelchair.

The banana keyboard is great to use;

• in an individual music therapy session to meet specific learning outcomes such as cause and effect
• learning about hand control and independent movement or choice making
• as part of a small group music class accompanied by other instrument choices such as a bass drum, shakers, stirring drum or slide whistle, depending on the needs and abilities of your students and the age appropriateness of various music choices.

When combined with some Compic or picture based choice cards, the banana keyboard is a fun way of encouraging independent vocalization, choice making and participation in a musical activity. You could also use Makaton (trademark name) as a support for enhancing the communication elements of a music lesson using the banana keyboard.Check out this article for more about using Makaton with students with disabilities.

Deciding to make piano music with low vision and visually impaired students and those with physical disabilities has never been so much fun!