Solution: Write out the notation or analysis elements verbally, as if it was read aloud.Issue: Depending on setting, many screen readers skip certain special characters and punctuation.Solution: Write intervals verbally such as “Major second interval” as opposed to M2 (screen readers typically won’t distinguish as an upper-case M).Issue: Screen readers often don’t distinguish upper-case and lower-case characters.Solution: Write accidentals with their verbal representations: Sharp, Flat, Natural, etc.Issue: Special characters like sharps and flats may be read as “number sign” or “b”.Below are some common Issues and the Solutions we suggest: This will compensate for the common translation errors that screen readers have with music.
When writing alt text, you may have to adjust the text as if It were read aloud. How to Write Musical Alt Text for Screen Readers Using International Standards Notation, Interval notation, and similar text-based notation typically used for theory/analysis, this method can be used to provide meaningful data for small musical excerpts. Since one of the most common displays of notation in music courses is done using images of scores and excerpts, alt text is another useful tool. As discussed in our resource on Accessible Images and Alt Text, meaningful alt text provides a ready means for screen reader users to understand the contents of a given image.
