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Accessible music
Accessible music notation refers to creating and providing musical scores in formats that can be perceived, navigated, and understood by people with disabilities such as using digital, braille, large print, or audio-based representations compatible with assistive technologies. Providing accessible music notation focuses on removing barriers in traditional notation so all users can read, interpret, and interact with music content effectively.
Why is it Important?
Accessible music notation is important because it removes barriers in traditional music formats, enabling individuals with visual, cognitive, or motor disabilities to access and participate fully in music learning and performance. It benefits students, educators, and musicians by promoting equitable access and helping users learn to read, interpret, and engage with musical content through formats that align with their abilities.
Quick Links
General Best Practices
Use Digital Scores: Whenever possible, provide sheet music in a digital format rather than as scanned images. Digital scores are easier to search, enlarge, customize, and convert into accessible formats such as Braille, screen reader–compatible files, or audio-supported representations.
Add Alt Text to Images of Music Notation: When using images of sheet music, include descriptive alt text so individuals who are blind, low vision, or using assistive technology can understand the musical content. Effective descriptions should convey the important musical information shown in the notation.
Welcome Accommodation Requests: Some individuals may require specialized accommodations or advanced remediation tools to access sheet music effectively. Be prepared to work with OARS to ensure music materials are provided in formats that meet individual needs.
Be Flexible: Provide multiple ways for students to access, interpret, and engage with musical content, including alternatives to visual notation and audio-only materials. By offering flexible options for participation and expression, you can better accommodate diverse learner needs and create a more accessible music learning environment.
Best Practice Resources
- Music Notation Best Practices (University Michigan’s best practices)
- Describing Musical Examples with Text and Alt Text (University of North Texas)
- Accessible Course Music Guidance: Strategies and resources to make sheet music accessible in courses and other contexts (University of North Texas)
- RNIB’s Music Advisory Service
Getting Files into an Accessible Format
Where to Start
A good place to start when making a music score accessible is to use a structured digital format like MusicXML or Music Encoding Initiative (MEI). These formats keep detailed information about the music, such as notes, rhythm, and structure, in a form that computers can read. Because of this, they can be converted into different accessible versions, including braille music (BRF), large print scores, talking scores, or audio-based formats. Starting with MusicXML or MEI makes accessibility easier because the score can be adapted for different needs instead of being limited to a fixed visual layout.
Audiveris is one of the most widely used open-source options for converting PDF sheet music.
MusicXML is a widely used file format for storing sheet music in a way that music software can read and edit. Unlike a PDF, which is mainly an image of a score, MusicXML contains information about the notes, rhythms, dynamics, and other musical elements. Because it stores the music as structured data, MusicXML can be used to create accessible versions of sheet music, such as braille music, talking scores, and screen-reader-compatible scores.
- MusicXML Reference and Tutorial (w3.org)
- MusicXML Community Group
- PDF Sheet Music to XML tools:
- ACE Studio PDF to MusicXML Converter (web)
- ScanScore (Mac/PC and web)
- Display MusicXML:
The Music Encoding Initiative (MEI) is another framework for digitally representing and preserving musical notation in a structured, machine-readable format. In addition to supporting standard Common Western Notation, MEI can also represent historical notation systems such as Renaissance-era mensural notation and Medieval neume notation. Rather than simply recreating the visual appearance of these systems, MEI preserves their underlying structure and meaning to provide a more accurate representation. MEI can also document connections between musical notation and related digital resources, including scanned page images and audio recordings.
Music Notation and File Conversion
Music notation software can be used to create and share musical examples, score excerpts, and exercises that can be accessed with screen readers. It can also be used to convert files to other accessible formats.
MuseScore
MuseScore is an open-source, free notation software available online. In addition to building materials directly in MuseScore, you can import existing MusicXML files and convert them into a range of accessible formats, such as braille music (BRF), talking scores, large print, or audio-based representations, depending on the tools being used alongside it. This makes MuseScore a flexible option for preparing and adapting music for a wide range of learning needs.
MuseScore Resources:
- MuseScore Demo Video (Sound Without Sight)
- MuseScore Tutorials and Handbook (Outside Shore Music)
Note: Users of JAWS may encounter more accessibility limitations in MuseScore than users of Narrator or NVDA on Windows.
Accessible Formats
Depending on the student and the musical context, accessible scores may include audio-based formats, modified visual notation, Braille, screen-reader compatible digital scores, or audio recordings. The following accessible formats can provide alternatives to traditional visual music notation, allowing students with disabilities to access, study, interpret, and perform musical works in ways that meet their individual needs.
A Talking Score is an accessible version of sheet music that combines written notation with audio guidance. It allows users to listen to a piece while following along with the score and often includes spoken descriptions of musical features, instruments, and structure. Talking Scores are designed to help people who are blind, have low vision, or have difficulty reading traditional music notation better understand and engage with music.
Modified Stave Notation (MSN) is an adapted form of traditional music notation designed to make reading music easier for people with visual, cognitive, or learning disabilities. It keeps the familiar five-line staff but may use larger notes, clearer spacing, color, or other visual changes to improve readability. The goal is to make music notation more accessible while still preserving the musical information found in standard notation.
BRF (Braille Ready Format) is a file format used to create and share braille sheet music. It contains the braille symbols and formatting needed for a braille embosser or refreshable braille display to present musical notation in braille. BRF files allow musicians who read braille music to access, study, and perform musical scores in an accessible format.
- UKAAF’s Accessible Music Page
- DAISY Braille Music Project
- Sao Mai Braille Music Translation (Sound Without Sight)
Note: BRF files are designed for use with Braille technology and generally require a compatible refreshable Braille display or Braille embosser to access the musical notation. A BRF file alone may not provide a usable representation of the music.
A Screen Reader Compatible Score is a digital music score created in a format that can be accessed and navigated using screen reading software. These scores allow users who are blind or have low vision to explore musical notation through spoken feedback, keyboard navigation, and accessible music notation software. Formats such as MusicXML and MEI can be used to create scores that support screen-reader access and interaction.
Audio Files provide an auditory representation of a musical work, allowing users to hear melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and other musical elements without relying on visual notation. While audio files do not convey every detail found in a written score, they can serve as an important accessible alternative or supplement for understanding and learning music.
Converting Sheet Music PDF to an Accessible Format
Sheet music is most commonly accessed digitally as a PDF. Accessible sheet music requires converting PDFs into structured formats—not just tagging the file. This process is not automatic and can require significant time and manual effort to ensure that the resulting format accurately represents the musical information.
The following workflow provides a general overview of the process rather than a step-by-step guide. The specific tools, formats, and steps needed will vary depending on the source material and your students’ needs.
This may be a digitized version of your sheet music or a scan of a hard copy. Try to use a digitized version if possible—it will simplify the following steps.
Use music OCR (sometimes called Optical Music Recognition (OMR) software (e.g., Audiveris, Ace Studio) to extract notation. This step creates a MusicXML file, which is a usable digital representation of the music.
Your accurate MusicXML file can be used to generate one or more accessible outputs based on user needs:
- Braille (BRF / embossed): Converts notation into tactile braille music for reading with fingers or a braille display.
- Talking score (audio + narration): Provides spoken descriptions of musical elements plus audio playback for comprehension.
- Screen-reader compatible score: Allows navigation and interaction using assistive technology within notation software.
- Modified stave notation: Adapts traditional notation through changes such as color, enlarged symbols, simplified layouts, or alternative note representations to improve readability and comprehension.
- Audio file: Provides an auditory representation of the sheet music (WAV, MP3, etc.)
Confirm that the output meets the user’s needs. Verify usability with their assistive technology. Adjust format (braille, audio, digital) based on feedback.
Describing Music with Text and Alt Text
There may be situations where students need to understand the overall purpose or key features of a musical example, rather than read or perform every note in the score. In these cases, alt text or long descriptions can be used to describe the aspects of the notation that are most relevant to the learning objective, helping students understand why the example is included and what they should notice.
This approach can support both visually impaired and hearing-impaired students, although the information may serve different purposes.
| For Visually Impaired Students | For Hearing-Impaired Students |
|---|---|
| Descriptions can provide access to musical features that are communicated primarily through visual notation, such as form, harmony, texture, dynamics, and rhythmic patterns. | Descriptions can make musical information that may be difficult to perceive through sound more explicit, particularly when an assignment asks students to analyze or discuss musical structure, instrumentation, dynamics, or other features that may not be readily accessible through listening alone. |
In both cases, descriptions should focus on the musical information most relevant to the learning objective rather than attempting to reproduce the entire score.
Writing alt text for a musical score is about translating what’s visually on the page into a concise, meaningful description that helps someone who can’t see the notation understand what matters musically and structurally. Unlike alt text for a photograph (where you describe a single image), score alt text often needs to balance musical structure, content, and function—without trying to transcribe every note.
A strong description usually helps the reader understand:
- What type of music it is (chorale, piano étude, orchestral excerpt, etc.)
- What forces are involved (solo piano, SATB choir, string quartet, etc.)
- What is visually/structurally happening in a meaningful way
- Any notable musical features (key changes, repeating motifs, rhythmic patterns, dynamics, form, etc.)
- Where in the piece the excerpt comes from (if known)
Your text description should not attempt to replicate full notation or every pitch unless that level of detail is specifically required, but it should support musical analysis and study (form, harmony, texture, motivic development, and function within the excerpt).
Descriptive Text Examples
Write alt text that gives students enough information to understand the musical content relevant to the learning activity. The examples below demonstrate how to provide meaningful musical detail without reproducing the entire score.
Excerpt from a piano sonata in C major. The passage begins with a two-measure antecedent phrase in the right hand outlining a stepwise ascending melodic line from C to G, supported by left-hand broken I–V–I arpeggiation. The consequent phrase develops the opening motive with slight rhythmic variation and expands the range upward. Harmony moves from tonic to dominant with a half cadence at the end of the phrase. Texture is primarily melody with accompaniment, with increasing dynamic intensity leading toward a marked crescendo.
SATB chorale excerpt in G minor. The soprano presents the primary melodic line beginning on scale degree 5 and descending by step toward the tonic. Alto and tenor voices move mostly in parallel thirds and sixths, while the bass outlines a progression of i–iv–V–i with predominantly root-position chords. The phrase features mostly homorhythmic texture with occasional suspensions resolving downward by step. The excerpt concludes with a perfect authentic cadence, with all voices resolving to the tonic chord.
Orchestral excerpt from a sonata-form movement in D major, presenting transition material between the primary and secondary themes. Strings introduce a sequential ascending figure based on a two-note motivic cell, modulating through the dominant via circle-of-fifths motion. Woodwinds enter with a contrasting lyrical theme in the dominant key, featuring longer note values and stepwise contour. Brass punctuates harmonic rhythm with sustained dominant-function chords. Texture thickens toward the end of the passage, culminating in a dominant preparation for the secondary theme area.
Contemporary orchestral excerpt featuring mixed meter (alternating 5/8 and 3/4). Percussion establishes an ostinato based on asymmetric rhythmic groupings, while strings present fragmented melodic gestures using minor second and tritone intervals. Harmonic language is non-functional, emphasizing pitch-class collections rather than tonal resolution. Brass and winds enter in staggered rhythmic entries, creating layered polyrhythmic texture. The excerpt builds in density and dynamic intensity without resolving to a traditional cadence.
Historical Scores
For historical scores, the notation itself often carries important information. The description should identify features such as:
- The layout (e.g., partbooks, choirbook, manuscript, early print, score)
- The notation system (e.g., white mensural notation, black mensural notation, neumatic notation, lute tablature, figured bass, early keyboard notation)
- Historical clefs (e.g., C-clefs, F-clefs, G-clefs)
- The presence or absence of barlines, key signatures, and time signatures
- Characteristic note shapes, ligatures, beams, or rests
- Editorial additions or modernizations, if applicable
- Decorative or physical features (illuminated initials, handwritten annotations, damaged pages) when they are relevant to the instructional objective
The amount of detail should always reflect the purpose of the score. If students are studying the history of music notation or learning to read original sources, describing these visual characteristics is just as important as describing the musical content. Conversely, if the score is being used only to illustrate the music itself, a simpler description focusing on the musical structure may be more appropriate.
Facsimile of a sixteenth-century four-part vocal motet printed in white mensural notation. Each voice (Superius, Altus, Tenor, and Bassus) is presented in its own staff rather than in a modern conductor’s score. The notation uses hollow noteheads with stems added only where required, and barlines are absent. Clefs include C-clefs for the upper voices and an F-clef for the bass. Rhythmic values are indicated through mensural note shapes rather than modern beaming, and note groupings reflect the original notation. A decorative illuminated capital begins the opening text. The excerpt demonstrates typical Renaissance music engraving and requires the performer or analyst to interpret meter and phrase structure from the mensural notation rather than from modern measure divisions.
Excerpt from a seventeenth-century keyboard manuscript written without modern engraved notation. The music is handwritten using historical note shapes and lacks consistent measure numbering. Barlines appear irregularly and primarily indicate phrasing rather than strict meter. Ornament symbols are written directly above the staff, and accidentals generally apply only to the individual notes they precede. The passage features imitative contrapuntal lines with several voice crossings and cadential figures characteristic of early Baroque keyboard music. The notation reflects the conventions of the period and differs substantially from a modern editorial edition.
Descriptive Text Resources
- Describing Musical Examples with Text and Alt Text (University of North Texas)
- Images and Complex Visuals
- Adding Alt Text to PDFs
Assistive Technology
Students may use a variety of assistive technologies to access, create, study, and perform music. While no single tool meets every student’s needs, understanding the capabilities of common technologies can help you provide instructional materials that are compatible with the assistive technology a student already uses.
The goal is to ensure that course materials are available in formats that work with a range of assistive tools. For more information or to request assistive technology please contact OARS:
Braille Displays
Refreshable braille displays convert digital text into tactile braille using movable pins. These devices allow students to read text, navigate documents, and interact with screen readers without relying on speech output. Unlike embossed braille, refreshable displays allow users to navigate websites, documents, and other digital content in real time.
Because these devices rely on properly structured digital content, instructors should provide accessible documents with headings, lists, tables, descriptive link text, and alternative text for images whenever appropriate. Accessible file formats such as Word, HTML, tagged PDFs, and properly formatted MusicXML files are compatible with braille technology.
Note: When music is provided in braille music notation, students may access it using refreshable braille displays, embossed braille, or electronic braille files (BRF).
Vibrotactile Tools
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may use vibrotactile technology to perceive musical information through touch. These devices convert aspects of sound—such as rhythm, pulse, dynamics, or low-frequency energy—into vibrations that can be felt through the hands, body, or seating surface.
Examples include:
- Wearable vibration devices
- Vibrotactile chairs or cushions
- Haptic wristbands or gloves
- Floor transducers used in rehearsal or performance spaces
While vibrotactile systems do not replace hearing, they can provide valuable access to tempo, rhythmic patterns, and musical intensity during listening activities and ensemble participation.
Real-Time Captioning
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) provides live captions created by a trained captioner during lectures, rehearsals, lessons, and classroom discussions. CART generally provides greater accuracy than automated captions, especially when technical musical vocabulary or rapid conversation is involved.
Providing lecture notes, presentation slides, musical terminology, and repertoire titles in advance can improve caption quality.
Assistive Listening Systems
Students with hearing loss may use assistive listening systems that transmit audio directly from an instructor’s microphone to hearing aids or cochlear implants. Common systems include FM, infrared, and induction loop (hearing loop) technologies.
Using microphones consistently during lectures and rehearsals improves access not only for students using these systems but also for students relying on remote captioning services.
Equal and Equitable Alternative
Equal and equitable digital content means making sure all students have a fair chance to learn and succeed. Content should be flexible and easy to access, offered in different formats, and designed to remove barriers that might prevent participation. Courses and materials should support different needs and allow students to continue or return to learning if their path has been disrupted. This work should involve input from the community and be supported with enough resources to keep it effective over time.
Accessibility Plan
Use the Accessibility Plan template to document known accessibility issues in your course or online materials and identify appropriate alternative solutions when content cannot be fully remediated. The template provides structured sections and examples to guide you in recording limitations and how they will be addressed.
For full details and access to the template, visit the UNCG Accessibility Policies page.
Example Accessibility Plan
Additional Support
Copyright and Intellectual Rights
Copyright law protects the rights of creators, but it also includes limited exceptions that support access to information. In digital accessibility, this means instructors and institutions must balance respecting copyright with ensuring that students with disabilities can use course materials. In many cases, accessibility requires converting content into different formats (for example, captions, transcripts, or accessible PDFs), and U.S. law recognizes that some of these changes are necessary to provide equal access. Understanding when permission is required and when legal exceptions apply is essential for creating accessible digital content. For more information read UNCG’s copyright ownership and use policy.
Fair Use
Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as teaching, research, and scholarship. Whether something qualifies depends on four factors: why the material is used, the type of work, how much is used, and the impact on the market for the original work. These factors are considered together on a case‑by‑case basis, and there are no fixed rules about how much can be used. In accessibility, fair use may support actions like adding captions, creating transcripts, or using portions of works for instruction. For more guidance, see the U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use page.
TEACH Act
The TEACH Act expands what instructors at accredited, nonprofit institutions can do with copyrighted content in online and distance learning. It allows instructors to share certain materials digitally with enrolled students without permission, as long as specific conditions are met (such as limiting access to the class and using only reasonable portions). This law was designed to reflect modern teaching practices and supports the use of digital course materials while still protecting copyright holders. In accessibility work, the TEACH Act can support sharing media, course readings, and recorded content in online classes. Learn more at the American Library Association TEACH Act overview.
Chafee Amendment (Section 121)
The Chafee Amendment is a key law for accessibility because it allows certain organizations to create and share accessible versions of copyrighted works for people with disabilities without permission from the copyright holder. These alternative formats can include audio, braille, or digital text designed for assistive technology. The law applies only to “authorized entities” and is limited to use by eligible individuals with disabilities. This provision ensures that access barriers do not prevent students from using required materials. For more details, see the Library of Congress explanation of the Chafee Amendment.
Questions About Copyright or Intellectual Property?
If you have questions about copyright, fair use, intellectual property rights, or the use of copyrighted materials in teaching and learning, contact the Office of the General Counsel for guidance. The Office of the General Counsel can help clarify university policies and legal considerations related to copyright ownership, licensing, and permitted use of materials. Visit the UNCG Office of the General Counsel for contact information and additional resources.
Music Libraries and Contacts
School of Music Contacts
- Brad McMillan (ensembles, marketing)
- Jonathan Caldwell (instrumental)
- Carole Ott (choral)
Harold Schiffman Music Library
Harold Schiffman Music Library
- Nick at n_mccoll@uncg.edu
- Vini at ndkuker@uncg.edu
- Andrea at aftiffan@uncg.edu
Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School
The Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School has an extensive Braille and large print music library as well as a transcription service for any music their library does not currently hold. This is a great resource for schools without their own Braille/large print libraries who may have students that need these scores.
Tools to Help Make Music Accessible
- Audiveris: This open-source optical music recognition (OMR) tool converts PDF sheet music to MusicXML files, which can then be edited in notation software.
- MuseScore : This open-source music notation program lets users create, edit, and share scores and import MusicXML files for conversion into accessible formats.
- ScaleShift: This service allows you to transform your PDF/MusicXML music scores into accessible formats like ClairNote, TwinNote, and more.
- PDFtoMusic: This tool extracts music-related elements from PDF files and can export scores in various formats, including MIDI and digital audio.
- Sensus Access: This service can convert scanned PDFs into accessible formats, making them more readable for screen readers.
- UC Berkeley’s page on the Stanford Sensus Access Project
- For accessible music production software and hardware, blind musicians typically rely on the following industry solutions and resources:
- Accessible DAWs. Mainstream digital audio workstations like Logic Pro, Reaper, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools are widely used. When paired with screen readers like Apple VoiceOver or Windows Narrator, they allow blind producers to navigate software and edit audio.
- Dancing Dots. A specialized company that develops and distributes assistive music technology. Their flagship software, CakeTalking, makes the DAW accessible, while other tools like Lime Lighter allow musicians to convert music from notation to Braille or large print.
- Sound Without Sight. A collaborative knowledge hub and community project that provides resources, podcasts, and training specific to audio production, music notation, and performance for blind and partially sighted musicians.
Additional Resources
- Pineo, E. (2025), “The original PDF score is just completely inaccessible”: A Proposed Workflow for Making Archival Music Scores Accessible Using MEI. Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 62, 1640–1642.
- Library of Congress. (2025–2026). Recommended formats statement – Musical Scores. Recommended Formats Statement | Resources (Preservation, Library of Congress).
- Higman, D. (2024, August 7). Overview of Accessible Notation. Sound Without Sight.
- Faschi, V., Avanzini, F., & Ludovico, L. A. (2025). Unlocking Music Archives: Openness and Accessibility. IRCDL 2025: 21st Conference on Information and Research Science Connecting to Digital and Library Science, 1–13.
- Akau, S., McKinney, J., & McNellis, R. (2023). Preferred Preservation Formats for Digital Music Scores: A Survey of University Music Faculty. Notes 79(4), 495–523. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/not.2023.a897455.
- Schuiling, F. (2023). Talking scores and dismediation of music notation. Music Theory Online, 29(1), 1–18.
- The DAISY Consortium. (2024). DAISY Engraving Guidelines. The DAISY Consortium.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. However, you should be prepared to provide a meaningful alternative for music content when accessibility barriers exist. Accessibility works best when students have options, such as audio plus text, a score plus descriptive text, or another format that supports the same learning objectives. When full accessibility cannot be achieved, document the limitation and alternative access method in an accessibility plan.
If full remediation is not possible, provide an equivalent alternative that supports the same learning objectives and document your approach in an accessibility plan. Examples may include narrated explanations, structured summaries, talking scores, or guided listening activities.
Focus on what students need to learn from the score, not every musical detail. Describe the structure, purpose, and key musical features that support the learning objective, and adjust the level of detail to the context and assignment. If accessibility cannot be fully achieved, provide an accessible alternative when possible and document your approach in an accessibility plan rather than relying on inaccessible content alone.
Do not assume publisher-provided or third-party materials are accessible. Check whether files are digital (not scanned), evaluate accessibility, and be prepared to provide alternatives. If a resource cannot be made fully accessible, provide an accessible alternative and document your approach in an accessibility plan rather than relying on inaccessible content alone. Review the Accessibility Plan guidance for more information.
Sometimes, but most are not fully accessible. While some PDFs can be made accessible for text and document navigation, musical notation is typically stored as an image and cannot be interpreted by assistive technologies. To provide meaningful access, music scores often need to be converted into structured formats such as MusicXML and offered in alternative formats based on the user’s needs