This week at Stories from the Studio we talk to Roma Dix, Ben Clarke, and Kursten Busby at The National Braille Music Camp in Mittagong. Each year, blind music students from across Australia and New Zealand come together in Mittagong for a unique and inclusive musical experience. 

Roma Dix, co-founder, co-director, and coordinator of the camp, has been at the helm for over 30 years. She and her late husband, Ian Cooper, started the camp in response to the national integration of blind students into mainstream school systems that often neglected music education. Ben Clarke, the camp’s Artistic Director, first attended as a student, while Kirsten Busby, a soprano singer, has become an integral part of the camp’s teaching team.

The camp provides a supportive environment for students aged 9–18 to learn braille music and connect with others in similar circumstances. With a mix of blind and sighted tutors, the program fosters independence and inclusion, culminating in a public concert where students showcase their achievements.

Roma reflects on the camp’s impact, noting how the kids transform from isolated individuals in mainstream schools to confident participants in a community where “everybody’s blind, nobody makes a fuss, and they’re all treated the same.

You can support the camp through by donating HERE, helping to ensure that this vital program continues to offer blind students the chance to pursue their musical passions.