This is a story about inclusion in music. It shows how a shared love for sound can bridge gaps between people, turning collaboration into a powerful method of learning and expression. The approach comes from the work of musicologist and researcher Carlos Blanco Fadol, who demonstrates that disability does not define capability. At a recent gathering near Busot, a group composed of twenty-four blind participants and twelve guides explored musical interpretation together as they performed Hymn to Happiness.
Each visually impaired musician received an angklung, a traditional Southeast Asian instrument adapted by Blanco. The angklung is a hand-held marimba-like instrument that produces sound when the tubes are shaken. Guided by instruction, the performer becomes centered, drawing strength from the shoulder movements and rhythm. The poster accompanying the event notes that this setup lets visually impaired players master tunes quickly and consistently, while also enhancing personal satisfaction. Blanco notes the moment of excitement that can rise during a performance when the room fills with music. The instrument generates a single octave note; to craft melodies, players rely on the harmonic contributions of their peers.
echolocation
The inaugural concert of this kind took place at the same venue in 2019, and ongoing experimentation has refined the concept. A prior echolocation study involved a mole mouse from Vietnam, proven capable of avoiding obstacles in total darkness. Researchers observed that the ultrasonic signals the animal emits resemble the echolocation sounds used by bats. Those echoes form a mental map of the surroundings, enabling precise movement and insect catching, even in pitch-black environments.
In the course of the project, Blanco Fadol arranged two Asian gongs and a Caribbean shell at different heights inside the cave. They functioned as acoustic beacons, played in sequence to serve as echolocators. The aim was to give visually impaired participants a tangible sense of the cave’s scale through echo feedback.
These explorations prompted further questions for researchers: could a technology be developed to influence ear-based echolocation for those with visual impairment? Might a blind person direct brain regions related to vision and project the surrounding environment into the mind, similar to how some nocturnal animals process space? The author allows scientists and engineers to pursue these possibilities.
The project featured participation from Enrique Llin, president of the Valencian Community, along with regional delegates from Alicante and Valencia and the mayor of Busot. Plans include establishing a music school for the visually impaired, featuring dedicated music workshops and tools tailored for the blind. The long-term goal is to create an orchestra for the visually impaired, named Hear and Play with Other Eyes, as part of a broader international expansion that already includes work in Mexico and ongoing development in Peru, Uruguay, and Romania.
Through these efforts, the team aims to broaden access to musical education, using adaptive tools and collaborative performance to empower people with vision loss to explore, improvise, and participate in the rich texture of sound.
[Citation: Blanco Fadol’s programs for inclusive music education and echolocation-inspired performance techniques]