Amy Wilkinson and the Chinese Blind Boys Band

Abstract

One aspect of the work that the missionaries did in China that has received little attention is the teaching of the blind to read, in particular to read music. Amy Wilkinson is particularly interesting because in 1922, she brought her Chinese Blind Boys Band to England and they toured all over the country giving concerts. The concerts were widely reported in the local press, and so we have quite detailed positive accounts of how well the band played. Any scepticism about what the standard of performance might have been like can be quelled by reading these accounts. What this book attempts to do is understand how these early pioneers developed systems to enable the blind Chinese to read in Chinese, with first the use of embossed letters and then Braille. They then went on to teach music notation with embossed systems and then later Braille music notation. There are considerable technical difficulties for blind people to read Braille music notation, and these must have been made more challenging teaching blind Chinese boys Western instruments and music that required an understanding of Western harmony and rhythm. Amy Wilkinson’s achievements in this field deserve wider recognition than they have so far received.