Student with Dyslexia
Found in: Special Needs & Learning Differences
Anne S., Nebraska
Hi everyone,
I have a 14-year-old student with dyslexia who is struggling with reading. When she looks at the music, the notes “move” (I don’t know if this is part of the dyslexia or a different issue) and it’s really hard for her to identify individual notes on the page, especially if they’re close together. She really tries but it’s frustrating for her. Her mom tells me that the same thing happens with words, and Faith learned to read by memorizing individual words. If she can make a picture association with words, it’s easier (for instance, she could read “constitutional” before she could read “the”). When we’re looking at a piece of music, she talks about how when she can identify shapes it’s easier to figure it out.
Any suggestions? She’s a sweet girl and really wants to master this, and mom is super supportive and helpful. It may not be surprising that she loves to compose and arrange songs. She plays in the worship band at church and is really good at accompaniment. It’s just the reading that is such a struggle.
Shanta H., Minnesota
I have a student who has a similar issue. For instance, she could see that the notes were quads, but they all ran together and she could not tell where they stopped. What I had her do was color code the singles, doubles, and quads with highlighters, being sure to put some white space between each set of notes. Then it was easier to see how many sets there were. For a couple weeks, I had her extend the measure lines on her music up and down in bolder black so she could see better where the new measure began. Then, if the quads stopped at the measure line, she had another way to tell when to stop playing them and start playing something else.
My student Ellie (age 15) only in the last 2 years has been able to read material that wasn’t large print. Another option might be to blow the pages up so that the differences between the singles, doubles, and quads are more easily visible. We considered that, but Ellie didn’t end up needing it.
If you’re in reading notes already, one idea might be to color code the intervals with markers. Once her eye recognizes the relative distance, it will hopefully be like she has learned the word. Eventually she will probably do something similar with musical phrases and chords on the page as well.
Kerry V., Australia
All dyslexic issues vary from one person to another. Some more prominent or severe than others. For me, having dyslexia but not having it diagnosed until last year, my experience was to take my time with it. Really, really small steps.
It wasn’t until a few years into teaching SM that I felt comfortable to even just look at music without anxiety. Now I love to pick up any piece and even just work out one bar or one phrase. I can also tell, just by ‘seeing’ the page if it is a sweet sounding song or jazz type etc. It has taken time though.
One thing for your student is have her play more chordal music. This way she is having the experience of achievement, playing what she likes and at the same time, the written notes are there for her to see and eventually her eyes will comfortably ‘see’ them. then shift from the right hand chord to the left hand chord and the right hand starts the melody. This can be done bar by bar.
I’ve had to acknowledge too that sometimes, if it is stressing me too much to not do the reading side for awhile. Fortunately, with SM, you have the opportunity to simply play and that is one of the most enjoyable parts in my playing, just being able to play. Then when I feel the stress level has gone then I give it a go or only wait for another day.
(When I talk about stress, it can be a physical or emotional or both stress. Your brain feels like it is all over the place. You want to do something but the emotions rise because it brings up all your past ‘failings’ of not being able to repeat, revise, analyse, or what ever the skill. Sometimes to articulate things can be extremely stressful too. You know what you want to say or see, there is something, an emotion, a feeling, a thought but you cannot bring it out. Again, I’ve learned to put that aside, not judge myself terribly and know that eventually I’ll ‘get it’, what ever ‘it’ is.)
I find too that writing them more often is helpful because I am able to then see the breakdown of that note. Regardless of anything, remind her it is like a piece of string, it takes as long as it takes. I am now playing, not well but doing it, pieces of music with both hands. Using all the different tools via SM I can get a song together. I do not have the notes moving on the page but sometimes I cannot actually see where they are so have to use a pointer but this could be what others see anyway. That’s why it is important to have her write them up. The patterns of seeing the notes going up, down or what ever has been extremely helpful, that way, once I see the intervals I just seem to know which note i’m to playing without knowing what that note is. Purely the pattern and intervallic approach. Hope that all makes sense?
And definitely work with what she already does that she knows works for her. I think the most important thing is to take time and allow her to know it is OKAY to take time. In fact, she will be better off by getting this slowly because once she gets it…….she’ll have it forever.