Music is often called a “universal language,” crossing cultures and language divides to evoke and express emotion. For musicians with vision loss, however, there are barriers to learning to play an instrument — from the need for accessible sheet music to finding a teacher who can understand how to best meet a student’s needs.

At the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg (FMDG) Music School in New York, the need to bridge these barriers to music-making has shaped the organization for over a century. This year, two CCM alumni are retiring from the FMDG Music School after more than 30 years of spearheading its mission — Leslie Jones (DMA Piano, '94) and Dalia Sakas (BM Piano, '76).

Established in 1913 as part of the Lighthouse Guild International, FMDG serves students who are blind or visually impaired. Since the 1990s, the school has been led by Executive Director Leslie Jones and Director of Music Studies Dalia Sakas.

The music school, which provides individual music lessons and group classes for both youth and adults with vision loss, is also a crucial resource for accessible braille sheet music, as well as large print and audio tracks.  “A disability such as vision loss never allows for a ‘one size fits all’ approach to learning,” says Jones of FMDG’s accessible approach.

Sakas first joined FMDG in 1993, when it was known as the Lighthouse Music School. Jones has led the school since 1997 as its Executive Director, and has seen the historic organization through major changes.

In 2018, after over 100 years with Lighthouse International, the parent organization announced they would shutter the music school.  Instead of giving up on FMDG’s mission, Jones led the school through the major transition of becoming an independent 501(c)3, gaining access to the school’s endowment, and finding new facilities.

For Jones, though, the hard work of ensuring that FMDG would continue was a no-brainer: “What I love most about FMDG Music School is that one is able to combine music and equal opportunity for all,” she says. “Everyone in life deserves an equal chance at succeeding… Honestly, I don’t look at leading FMDG Music School as a service. I have upheld the same standards of excellence that I would for any music school. That philosophy, along with an excellent faculty, has led us to create a music school which any musician would be proud to lead.”

Sakas joined the teaching faculty on the recommendation of another CCM graduate, Joseph Fields, who was then serving as the director of the school. Sakas, whose degrees were in piano performance, began her work with FMDG as a teacher. However, seeing the challenges faced by musicians with vision loss inspired her to take on a broader mission of promoting equality and accessibility in music education.

“The work I have done through the FMDG Music School has probably been some of the most rewarding work I have ever done,” says Sakas.

During her time with FMDG, Sakas has had the opportunity to teach and mentor students who have gone onto careers as professional musicians, including award-winning jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker.

Whitaker started at FMDG “as a five-year-old precocious piano player,” says Sakas. During his time at FMDG, he picked up many instruments, including the bass and drums, and went on to study at The Juilliard School. Now, he performs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and on major television shows. “He has shared his musicianship with our students, but also his encouragement, kindness and support,” reflects Sakas. Sakas and Whitaker were featured together in a 60 Minutes segment in 2020 that highlights her early recognition of his talents.

Looking toward the future, both Jones and Sakas plan to continue their involvement with FMDG Music School and its mission after they retire. The two are in the process of creating a consortium of colleges, conservatories and universities to help incorporate FMDG’s innovations and mission into higher education. 

“We are designing a ‘Best Practices Guideline’ for higher education to learn what access in music truly means,” says Jones of the initiative. “We will work diligently to make a real systemic change to music education in the field of accessibility.”

Both Jones and Sakas reflected on the mentoring and training they received at CCM. Above all, however, both cherish the rich and tight-knit community forged in school that has extended into the professional world. “There is a group of women [from CCM]… who gather together annually to share our collective lives’ experience,” says Jones. “Memories from these years are many and rich!”

"CCM was an amazing music school," Sakas adds. "The faculty was very caring and worked together. There was mentoring and teaching on all levels. I got excellent advice and training in collaborative piano while I was there. I still keep in touch with a number of musicians that were at CCM at the same time I was."

Speaking to CCM students, Sakas, who began her career as a solo pianist, encourages performers to pay it forward through teaching and mentorship:

“Teaching, the sharing of one’s art, is a privilege,” says Sakas. “If one gets the opportunity to make the world a more welcoming place for underserved populations or disenfranchised students—this is an honor and a privilege.”