The story of blind Italian sound editor Mirco Mencacci, as told in the movie "Red Like the Sky," is being played out for real at the National Taichung School of Special Education for the Visually Impaired.
The school's blind history teacher, Luo Chen-cheng, has used a simple recording device to help blind students produce a CD, and got funding to have copies made. The design was done totally by the students and faculty at the school. Currently, a collection of three song CDs and a piano collection are planned, with talented blind music students performing. The discs are an inspiration to visually handicapped people everywhere.
The school's sound education room is often home to students making recordings. These include vocals, piano, violin and accordion music. Luo uses his own free time to guide students in recording technology, and at times when students are not satisfied with the results after three hours of takes, they continue working, but sometimes fail to nail down a single track before the end of the day.
Luo's own instrument is the accordion. When he was young, he learned recording techniques on his own, and with the sensitive hearing of a blind person, fumbling about in the darkness for the keyboard and devices. He now serves as the advisor for the sound control group on campus. Some of the blind students are familiar with the circuitry, and can easily and accurately handle the controls with no errors, just like the famous Italian sound editor in the film.
Last year, the school’s president, Li Chi-ming, wanted to provide students with a lasting memento of their efforts. He planned a recording of a set of CDs, with Luo doing the recording work. Another teacher, Hsia Hsi-ming, took on the photographic and graphic design tasks. With an outlay of NT$30,000 (US$924), the first 1,000 CDs were pressed, and a collection of Taiwanese songs and piano performances has been preserved, with more planned. When the collection is published in full, copies will be sent to donors who supported the project financially. The project will also stand as a great promotional product for the school.
Blind students are very sensitive to sound, and it took a month to record the 10 songs on the album. To supplement the shortcomings in the school's sound equipment, Luo spent extra time in the recording and post-production phases. The results have been widely acclaimed as being of professional quality.
Many people believe that blind people are not able to learn any other trade than massage, an occupation reserved for them in Taiwan. But over half the students at the school in Taichung have musical talents, and Hsia Kung-ting has already been accepted by Fu Jen Catholic University's Music Department. Luo also points to his own experience when he thinks about developing the potential of blind people.
Chung Fang-chen, who is ready to enter high school, said this CD is a record of growth. She listens to her tracks over and over, and feels that all the effort she put in studying music has really been worth it.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times June 7.)