New baton allows blind to play in top orchestras

A BATON that allows blind musicians to follow a conductor has been developed, paving the way for them to play in top orchestras.

The baton, loaded with microchips, transmits the conductor’s movements via wireless signals to devices strapped to the musicians.

The sensors translate the signals into vibrations that enable them to pick up not only the tempo but how the baton moves in the air.

“It emulates what a sighted musician sees,” said Charles Hazlewood, a conductor who tested it with a dozen blind and sighted musicians at a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

The founder of the British Paraorchestra for the disabled said it even captured the sensation of a conductor guiding musicians in loudness and intensity.

“It’s a game changer and has the potential to level the playing field for blind and sighted musicians,” he said.

“There’s no reason why any number of musicians in a symphony orchestra could not be visually impaired.”