Colour music: how it works

Colour music is useful for people with disabilities. Visually impaired people or people with a brain disorder can also start making music (again) thanks to the clear colour stickers. Colour music is also very suitable for young children. They can then switch to normal musical notation later on.

Ordinary musical notation is an international language for musicians. The lines, notes and symbols show what you have to play and how. You can see this notation in the sheet music of the Jostiband. But… underneath is a translation in bright colour circles. The result is a musical language that you can read quickly.

Order the Colour Music book with manual and free stickers here

On this site we give a short introduction to Colour music in four mini music lessons. These lessons are based on lessons with a keyboard. It is about playing with one hand. This can be done with just one finger.

Choose a keyboard with large keys and good speakers. Of course, the colour notation is also suitable for other instruments, such as a piano, accordion or xylophone.

String instruments and wind instruments are often less suitable. It is not possible to affix the stickers and ‘read’ them properly. Moreover, wind instruments require good mouth motor skills. They are therefore often difficult for people with a disability.

The colours should take away any barriers. It is about playing real songs and not about pounding out difficult notes. You can point out the colour circle on the sheet music note by note and then hit the right key. This form of assistance is intensive and often frustrating for people learning to play an instrument. They get the idea that they are doing it ‘wrong’ more quickly and more often. It is better to let the musician play along while searching and listening. Sing and play aloud a lot.

1. Music begins with silence
2. After silence comes listening
3. Experiencing the music. What do you hear? Do you know the song?
4. The Colour Music helps you play the music

More than half a century of making music with the Jostiband has shown that those who can follow the first three steps will almost always be able to learn to play an instrument. The basis is transferring the music while playing and singing. In this way, you train the auditory memory. This makes it easier to make music yourself, supported by colour music.

Rhythm is also learned by listening and participating. Some musicians can read the rhythm from the staff. They use the colour notation for the melody and the normal notes for the rhythm.

A longer manual can be found in Colour Music with Instrument Stickers.

Choose and download the following free sheet music in Jostiband notation (without chords):
Vader Jacob
Drie Maal Drie
Lang Zullen Ze Leven
Brabant.

Of course, the extended version and other sheet music can also be ordered. Choose one of the music books with 21 songs per book in the Jostisjop.

The Jostiband consists of musicians of very different levels. People with severe, multiple disabilities also participate. Read all about the possibilities in the Colour Music Book.

Colours without sheet music: the basic tones

You can simplify the colour music even further. To understand the colour notation, you have to make the connection between the colour circle on paper and the colour sticker on your instrument. This can be tricky. Also, it sometimes goes too fast if you have to play the whole melody. The Jostiband also has people who play a few notes without a book. An assistant then holds up large coloured circles, which the people then play.

We have made several signs with a diameter of 40 centimetres for this purpose. They are in the colours of the notes to be played and also show the letter of the note. These musicians therefore do not play the whole melody. For a number of bars or lines, for example, they play a basic note from the chord for that bar or line. So they learn mainly by joining in. The signs offer visual support.

Some members of the orchestra members play with a special music case. This contains small musical instruments, such as macaracas, triangles, tambourines and other percussion instruments (“small percussion”). The instructions for this group of musicians are always clear. You learn to listen to each other and wait your turn. You will join in at exactly the right moment.

Order a Jostiband music case full of small musical instruments!