How my journey started

I decided to write a blog about my journey as a musician with disabilities

I am 28 years old, married for 6.5 years with no children, but two cats.

I play mostly viola sometimes the violin and I also sing in the Adelaide University Choral Society. I was also involved with the Tutti Ensemble and various other orchestras and choirs.

My journey first started when I became partially deaf (no hearing in one ear and some in the other) in 2006. As a string player I guess most people would have given up at this point. I already had chronic pain and at least some fatigue but these were somewhat overcome because I wanted to be involved with music so much. I had to wait til my Disability support pension was approved to get hearing aids as we could not afford them. In the meantime I went to a place called Hearing Solutions where they showed me all manner of devices that could help (most at a large cost too). The one I fell in love with was an FM system which basically consists of 2 boxes, one a receiver the other a transmitter. The transmitter has a microphone which picks up the sound from the TV, radio, a person or a viola or choir and then sends it wirelessly to the receiver which sends the sound to my hearing aid (HA) through the telecoil program and induction loop. I remember saying to the person helping me at hearing solutions when they showed it to me "Do you think this could work with the viola?" and she replied "the only way is to try. Its meant for communication generally but I can't see why it wouldn't work. We can let you borrow the equipment for a week and see if it helps you for free of course" So I took it home and tried. Well for the first time in I don't remember how long I could hear again. Not only the viola but the TV, my husband, CDs etc. It was wonderful. I took it to my lesson and my teacher was impressed with it cause it helped me so much and my intonation improved as well. I was more confident and honestly I didn't feel like a beginner anymore. I had to use headphones at that stage because I hadn't got my HAs yet. They came almost a year later. Of course this experience at that point was short lived because I was only borrowing it so I had to find a more permanent solution. Unfortunately these devices cost (currently and a different model cause they dont make the phonic ear one anymore) about $2000 Australian. I can't exactly remember when but eventually I was able to borrow a system from TAFE SA (a tertiary education institution) because I was (And currently are) a TAFE student and I needed it (at the time for videoconferences). They have been so good to me. Letting me borrow and use it for such a long time. Eventually I used the system all the time every day for hours and hours and it pretty much solved my hearing difficulties and playing the viola, and singing too. I put it in front of the choir near my section (alto) and it picks up and I know what i am doing more or less. I use it with my hearing aids now because I have them and also because in 2008 my hearing deteriorated further and so I can no longer hear through headphones anymore. Perhaps if they were really powerful it might be possible but I prefer to hear through my HAs.

As if that wasn't enough problems as it was I then was diagnosed officially in 2007 with Fibromyalgia (a chronic pain syndrome). This led to various medication trials and eventually my dr prescribed two medications which interacted with each other causing me to be extremely ill unable to even hold up my viola or get it out of my case. Again most people at this point probably would have given up. A number of people suggested to me couldn't a stand be made to hold up the viola? I told it was a great idea and a friend of mine told me about a group called TAD (Technical Aid for the disabled) They are retired engineers who volunteer their time to make things for people with disabilities (PWD) which are otherwise not able to be bought. Labour and time are free and you just pay for materials. So we designed what I call the "holding up device". I am totally new to blogging so when I work out how to put a picure here I will post it. It basically straps around my middle and has metal adjustable poles which also rotate 360 degrees. There is then a "bridge piece" which attaches to the viola (and a separate one for the violin) which clips onto the main frame of the device. As far as I am aware it is the only one of its type in the whole world. This has meant that I can put the instrument onto the stand and the weight is taken by the stand, not me. It has taken a lot of getting used to and I will write more about it later. The stand was completed at the end of 2008 with further changes made to the bridge piece in early 2009.

I want to go back a bit to early 2008. I was doing certificate 3 in disability studies at TAFE SA externally and my lecturer was talking about how I could use my certificate in work. Usually the certificate is used for people who want to become qualified as a support worker for PWD in the sense of personal care and that sort of thing but really it can be used for anything in disability. I originally was a support worker but it became too difficult trying to do the transfers and things I had to resign in early 2008 and find a different way of using the certificate. Anyway I was talking to my lecturer who knew that I was interested in music and teaching viola and violin to PWD and she knew that I would love to join the two areas together. She suggested contacting the Tutti ensemble. I had honestly never heard of them but I rang them up and it was arranged that I would join the choir and become a volunteer person. Unfortunately for me they are a 70 min drive from where I live. At the time this was OK because I was able to drive myself there and back, later this became an issue.

I will leave it here for now and write more about it later on