As a clarinet player with low vision, I have spent many years playing in concert band, symphonic band, honors band, wind ensembles, and a variety of other concert band programs hosted at my school or by local organizations. Besides practicing various types of clarinet, I’ve also spent a lot of time practicing self-advocacy skills with my band directors and learning how to implement low vision accommodations for concert band settings so that I can stand out for being a great clarinet player, instead of standing out as someone who struggles to read sheet music or participate in band with low vision. Here is a list of tips and strategies for participating in concert band and low vision accommodations that I have used over the years, in honor of Music in Our Schools Month.
How I talk to band directors about disability accommodations
I had an IEP for visual impairment (specifically low vision) when I was in elementary, middle, and high school, and was approved for disability accommodations related to low vision through my college’s Disability Services office. Since I’m not a music major or spending the majority of the day in band/music classes, my disability accommodations are written with classes like math, English, science, and history in mind. This doesn’t mean that my need for disability accommodations disappears the moment I pick up a clarinet— I just have to talk to my band directors about the best ways to implement my approved accommodations for band classes.
A few weeks before starting at a new school, I would schedule a meeting with the band director to go over my accommodations and share strategies that I have used when playing in other ensembles that could potentially be useful. This would give the director or other staff members time to prepare large print music or provide me with digital copies, as well as give me an opportunity to explore what the band room looks like and where other items are stored.
Since I often have to get music enlarged in advance, these meetings would also be combined with an audition/chair test so I could figure out what parts I would be playing for concert band, or if I would be alternating between two different clarinets (e.g. alto clarinet and bass clarinet). This would also influence where I would be sitting, since preferential seating accommodations aren’t practical in band classes.
Related links
- Learning to Self-Advocate With Low Vision
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials From My Low Vision IEP
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
Auditions and chair test accommodations for low vision
While there is a stereotype that people with visual impairments are gifted musicians with perfect pitch and the ability to learn music by ear, I have noticed that my low vision can have a negative influence on how I read music with low vision; I would often have to plan in advance how I would navigate auditions and chair tests because I read music with large print. Here are the accommodations for auditions that I found particularly helpful:
- Provide a description of the audition space in advance or let the student preview what it looks like. Playing in my band director’s office standing up requires me to make different adjustments to my music compared to playing sitting down in the main band room.
- For musicians, don’t be afraid to add extra comments or draw accents, dynamics, or frequently missed notes larger so they are easier to see.
- Ensure sight reading pieces are provided with the same characteristics and in the same format as the student’s other music. I would get very frustrated when sight reading sheet music would be provided in a smaller size or with low contrast colors because it was difficult or impossible for me to read.
- For assessments where I did not receive accessible sheet music, I would refrain from playing instead of trying to guess what notes were on a page. If I was in a group setting (e.g. assessments), the director would inform the juror I did not receive accessible music to explain why I was not playing, which was particularly relevant when I was the only bass clarinet player, and it would be obvious I was not playing.
During district band auditions at another school, I would often wait in a separate area to minimize exposure to flickering or flashing lights that could trigger my brain condition— in the main waiting area, volunteers would flicker lights repeatedly to get everyone’s attention, and students often had tuners or other flashing items with them. That said, there was one year where the audition coordinator forgot I was in a separate room, and I auditioned two hours later than planned. While this accommodation may not be necessary for all students with visual impairments, students that have photosensitivity or photophobia may also benefit from having audition waiting areas free of flickering or flashing lights.
Related links
Accessible sheet music for low vision
I primarily access information visually using tools like large print and screen magnification, and music is no different. While some students can listen to music by ear and not need to look at sheet music, I rely on accessible sheet music and large print sizes to know what to play. Strategies I have used for enlarging music with low vision and remediating accessible sheet music include:
- Sheet music enlarged to 250% of its original size and printed on larger paper. This was consistent with my IEP accommodations for large print materials in my classes, and my director would check the music to ensure that notes or other important symbols weren’t cut off. Accessible music can be organized in a folder or binder— I personally prefer a binder for easier page turns.
- Scanning copies of sheet music and enlarging them in a program like PowerPoint or Slides to provide more precision over display scaling and page sizes. I prefer this over enlarging music with a copier.
- Reading digital sheet music on an iPad. I have an entire post on this topic linked below.
- Supplementing accessible sheet music with audio recordings for audio-supported reading, which can be useful when practicing.
In my experience, websites for repertoire and sheet music libraries do not provide many resources for requesting content in alternative formats for accessibility. That said, there are many tools for converting sheet music PDFs to MusicXML, which can be used for digital sheet music.
Related links
- Tips For Reading Music On An iPad With Low Vision
- My Large Print Music Binder
- How To Make Music Accessible With Microsoft PowerPoint
- Writing Marching Band Drill For Low Vision Students
Seating arrangements for visually impaired musicians
While I sit in the front row for the majority of my classes, that isn’t practical for concert band or wind ensembles since I don’t play flute, piccolo, or oboe. The primary accommodation I have for seating in the concert band setting is ensuring I have my own stand so I can position music in a way that I can see it and can also make adjustments to the display angle of the stand so it aligns with the bifocal in my glasses. I have an entire post on strategies for watching the conductor with low vision linked below.
Related links
- Assistive Technology Options For Watching The Conductor With Low Vision
- Upcycling Music Stands into Assistive Technology
Instrument storage and locating items with low vision
At my first high school, the woodwind closet was a large, well-lit space filled with lots of identical-looking instrument cases on bright white shelves. To make it easier to locate my clarinet case, I would add unique keychains and decorations to the case so that it was high contrast and easy for me to locate for class. I would also try to place my clarinet in the same consistent location each time.
At my second high school, the woodwind closet was small, dark, and had dark shelves that blended in with the dark instrument cases— I found it much harder to locate my instrument independently, especially when people would move cases frequently. My band director gave me permission to store my clarinet in another part of the band room because I often would run into other students or trip over items left on the floor.
Related links
Appointing an assistant for musicians with visual impairments
Some students find it helpful to have an assistant or another musician help them with carrying items or navigating unfamiliar spaces, especially if they use a blindness cane (white cane) that leaves them with one less free hand. My band directors typically did not appoint an assistant for me— I would appoint my own assistant after befriending other students in the class and showing them how to help me with things like carrying my music, grabbing an instrument case, or helping me navigate a dark backstage area. That said, I would tell the director which student(s) were helping me when navigating an unfamiliar concert venue or when helping me get everything on the bus.
Most frequently, my assistant was a tenor sax, bass clarinet, or baritone sax player since I would typically sit next to these students in class/concert band. Sometimes, I would also have fellow clarinet players like my brother assist me or ask a close friend that plays a different instrument to be a human guide and help me get to different locations. This isn’t to say that all visually impaired musicians will need extra help, but I often only had one free hand and could not carry two instruments, my music folder, and uniform without dropping something!
Related links
- How I Play In GMU Green Machine/Pep Band With Low Vision
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
- How I Talk About Disability With New Friends
Accommodating musicians with light sensitivity
As mentioned earlier in the post, strobe lights and flashing lights are a trigger for both my eye condition and brain condition; if I am exposed to flashing or strobe lights for more than a few seconds, I become disoriented and cannot play clarinet. This led to me missing several band events over the years, which was really frustrating to me as a musician. Here are concert band accommodations that my directors have used over the years to minimize exposure to strobe and flashing lights:
- When tuning instruments, musicians would cover the tuning lights for sharp/flat with their thumbs so the flickering effect was not visible.
- For performances, I would sit in the hallway instead of the audience when waiting to get on stage, and would be among the last students to walk on stage. The director would remind audiences not to use flash photography, and would often mention that there were musicians on stage that would not be able to perform if there were flashing lights in the audience.
- To minimize the intensity of bright lights, I would wear polarized sunglasses or non-polarized tinted glasses when playing on stage.
- Before flickering lights to get the attention of students, directors would let me know if they were about to flicker the lights so I could cover my eyes. Alternatively, the director would just turn off the light, wait several seconds, and then turn it back on.
- For digital music, consider using an inverted display with white notes on a black background to reduce glare.
While athletic bands are different than concert band settings, I share several strategies for modifying band uniforms to help with sensory processing issues and minimizing the effects of bright lights in my post on band uniforms linked below.
Related links
- Adapting Band Uniforms For Sensory Processing Issues
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
More resources on concert band and low vision accommodations
- When learning a new instrument, it can be helpful to have an accessible fingering chart for unfamiliar notes. Learn more about how to create one in How To Modify An Instrument Fingering Chart For Low Vision
- Interested in other strategies for making stage environments more accessible for performers with low vision? I include more ideas in Participating In Drama and Theater Programs With Low Vision
- Did this post spark an interest in learning or re-learning clarinet? Check out Learning Clarinet With Low Vision
Published March 12, 2018. Updated December 2025