One Score at a Time: Bill McCann & the Story of Dancing Dots (Part 1)

Episode Summary
This episode of the Penny Forward Podcast features Bill McCann, founder of Dancing Dots, in a deep and engaging conversation about accessible music creation for blind and low-vision musicians. Bill shares his personal journey—from learning Braille music as a child to struggling through inaccessible print scores in high school and college—and how this lived experience inspired the creation of Dancing Dots in 1992.
Chris and Liz explore the origin story of Goodfeel, the Braille music translation software now used in more than 50 countries, and how Bill’s team expanded into tools like Lime, Lime Lighter, and accessible digital audio workstation training. Bill explains the challenges low-vision musicians face when trying to read standard scores, why simple magnification isn’t enough, and how Lime Lighter solves the problem with large-format, customizable, repeat-aware digital notation. The episode also features a humorous radio spot voiced by Patrick Perdue that demonstrates the real-world stakes of inaccessible print music—especially for trombone players.
The conversation concludes with the announcement that the discussion will continue in Part 2.

Contact Info
Guest — Bill McCann / Dancing Dots
Website: https://www.dancingdots.com
Email (general): [e-mail]
Penny Forward
Website: https://www.pennyforward.com
Email: [e-mail]
Aftersight
Website: https://www.aftersight.org
Email for guests & inquiries: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Producer: Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer at Aftersight

Show Credits
Hosts: Chris Peterson & Liz Bottner
Guest: Bill McCann
Audio Editing & Post-Production: Jonathan Price
Composer: André Louis
Distributed in partnership with Aftersight
A Penny Forward production

Chapter Markers
00:00 — Opening & Introductions
00:34 — Meet Bill McCann
01:20 — Discovering Music & Braille
02:28 — Early Challenges Accessing Scores
03:55 — High School & College Music Demands
05:22 — The Birth of Dancing Dots
09:10 — Building Goodfeel
11:20 — Lime, Lime Lighter & Accessible Tools
16:24 — Audio Production & Reaper Training
18:10 — Lime Lighter Radio Spot
20:15 — Why Magnification Isn’t Simple
22:45 — Tailoring Tools for Low Vision Needs
25:02 — Closing & Part Two Teaser