ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book identifies some of the most common social dynamics in encounters between normative audiences, musicians and music critics, and people with an intellectual, physical, sensory or neurological disability. It invites the reader to recognise disability as a rightful identity category in music performance and to dismantle the disabling barriers that limit the participation of disabled people in music-making. The book seeks to answer the following question: What kind of environment would a person with a disability encounter in the world of classical music, both as a student and as professional performer? It explores the visual aspects of disability through a comparative analysis between video recordings of a pianist with a visual impairment and a non-disabled pianist playing the same repertoire. The book examines the influence of ageing in the performing style of musicians in later adulthood.
