Visual charts for playing piano
Color-coded note representation
The “Notes to Blocks” computer automation program produces a simple color-coded chart that can easily be interpreted as a map of finger patterns of sequential music notes when played on a keyboard with coordinating-colored stickers placed on the keys. This provides an opportunity for people who are unable to read standard notation to quickly learn to play a variety of songs by following an easy color/spatial illustrated chart. This project has taken several years to manifest, to view the history of the project, please refer to the Notes2Blocks History page.
Many people with motor, speech, or cognition challenges are unable to read traditional music notation but would still like to play a favorite song on the piano.
Notes2Blocks combines the diverse elements of technology, science, music, and health in creating a unique visual methodology for learning to play a keyboard song. Neuro-typical children generally spend at least two years, if not more, learning to read music. And many in the adult population are unwilling to invest the time learning to read music thinking that it would be “too hard” or “it’s too late” to learn to play. There are also many children with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are unable to meet the challenge of learning how to read music. But music can be a wonderful outlet for the neuro-diverse population and extremely motivating for both neuro-typical and neuro-diverse groups to help with physical, developmental, or social challenges.
The following are potential use cases that this innovative project would be a great resource for:
- A child with autism or any other Intellectual/Developmental disability.
- An adult recovering from stroke or other rehabilitation challenge.
- Encouraging social gatherings in assisted living homes.
- Memory motivation for those challenged with dementia.
- Clients in substance abuse rehabilitation.
Potential resuls:
Result 1.) The therapeutic goal of playing a favorite song on the piano could be widely utilized in educational and therapeutic settings for those with motor, speech, and cognition challenges. Populations aided by this objective could include children with autism, adults with Parkinson’s disease or stroke, or even neuro-typical older adults who don’t read music and want to play for their own enjoyment to enhance social events in assisted living centers or group homes. With creation of a color-coded visual chart representing music note patterns, these populations can enjoy playing music on a color-labelled keyboard counterpart without having to know how to read music.
Result 2.) The ongoing implications for this project are that it has the potential to create virtually unlimited community partnerships. Color-coded methodology will encourage any person, with or without a disability, who would like to play a song on the piano but does not have the ability or time to learn to read music, to be helped by this venture.
