Book: Music and Dyslexia: A Positive Approach

Ditchfield, D., Miles, T. R., & Westcombe, J. (2008). Music and dyslexia. [electronic resource] : a positive approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 3: In and around the classroom

• Christine McRitchie Pratt

Page 18

Performing using notation

• Highlight a part to make it clearer. Use arrows to show change to new line. Arrow Post-its are now widely available.
• Highlight a particular sequence and colour unexpected notes (e.g. accidentals) or odd fingerings, similarly with instructions (dynamics/repeats etc.). Ask the student for their choice of colour – they will feel more included.
• Use musical ‘spectacles’ for ‘LOOK OUT’!
• Check that the task has been understood.

Listening/watching

• Make sure the dyslexic student understands the task and what they are listening/watching out for.
• Place them away from distractions.
• In the case of watching a screen, position them at the front and straight in front – prime position!

pg 22

During the lesson

• Always give a warm welcome and smile and use the pupil’s name.
• Engage with your pupil; make sure that they look at you.
• Check your pupil has understood each instruction – if not, repeat it and, if this does not work, come from another angle and explain it in a different way.
• Write careful, legible and brief notes in a practice notebook at the end of every lesson – vocalise as you write and check that your pupil has understood the instructions. Do not forget to put in the time, date and, if necessary, the place of the next lesson.
• Practice charts can help, plus a reward system.

Please be:

• consistent, interesting and interested (your lesson may be the only one-to-one session that the pupil has – we are in a privileged position)
• lively and always make sure some music is worked on (but do not give too many instructions in one go).

pg 23

Be aware that there may be:

• difficulties with sorting out left or right hands (which hand do you write with? – no problem if it is with the right; otherwise, a trendy armband may help); do not insist on dealing with left and right if ‘this hand’ and ‘that hand’ will achieve the same results
• problems with fingering – pianists and harpists use five fingers on each hand numbered from one to five, the thumb being one, while most other instruments use thumb plus one, two, three and four; use other terminology, such as ‘little finger’ (the ‘pinkie’ in the United States) or ‘ring finger’, until confidence is gained
• misunderstanding with instructions for higher and lower, particularly with a stringed instrument; similarly with instructions for up and down.

Don’t forget: black on white glares

• Photocopy onto pale-coloured paper, such as yellow, pink and blue, and work with the colour your pupil finds makes the notes the clearest.
• Enlarge if necessary.

Chapter 4: Classroom rhythm games for literacy support

• Katie Overy

pg 27

Dyslexia and timing

Dyslexia, of course, presents a special case of language disability, the precise nature and cause of which remain under intense investigation and discussion. Particular difficulties with phonological skills are well established, but there are many theories as to why these difficulties occur. Examining this literature from a musical perspective, it is interesting to note that there is a strong emphasis on temporal processing deficits and timing deficits, particularly in the auditory and motor domains.

pg 27

Musical timing skills have also often been noted as a potential area of difficulty, both by experimental psychologists and by music educators (for example Oglethorpe, 1996; Overy, 2003).
Interestingly, there are also indications that emphasising the temporal aspects of language might be useful for dyslexic children. For example, it has been shown that spelling performance can be improved by learning to tap out the number of syllables in a word and that auditory training using slowed-down speech stimuli can lead to improved phonological skills (Habib et al., 2002). Blythe (1998) proposes that singing is a natural way of slowing down speech signals and suggests that singing is beneficial for dyslexic children. It is also well-established that children’s knowledge of nursery rhymes (involving rhythmic singing) is strongly related to their phonological awareness (MacLean et al., 1987). Such
findings suggest that the development of rhythm skills and singing skills might be valuable elements of musical training for dyslexic children.

pg 28

Growing with Music (Stocks and Maddocks, 1992) is a teaching method based on group singing and is highly influenced by the Kod´aly approach to music education1. Each music lesson is centred upon one or more songs, which are manipulated in various playful ways and then discussed using concepts such as rhythm, pitch and form. Singing is considered a valuable tool because teachers can learn it quickly, it is cheap and easy to organise with the minimum of disruption to the classroom and can be used to teach almost all aspects of the music curriculum. Developing a large repertoire of songs is also considered to be a good way to develop memory skills, while the physical activities used with songs are believed to help develop co-ordination and the automatisation of skills.

1 The Kod´aly approach to music education was developed in Hungary in the 1950s, and has since been adapted in more than 50 different countries around the world. The approach is based on classroom singing of folk songs and classical music, and has a highly structured curriculum that leads very quickly to musical literacy. It has often been reported that this approach leads to improvements in other areas of the school curriculum, including language skills (e.g. Hurwitz et al., 1975).

Pg 37

Spot the Difference

This is a simple game that can be played quietly in a circle. To begin with, the leader simply claps a number of beats and the number is passed around the circle until it gets back to the leader. The leader then changes the number of beats and the number is passed around the circle again.

The leader then selects a child to be the person to change the number of beats and the process continues. When everyone is able to perform the skills of copying and changing the number of beats (not necessarily easy for everyone), one child is asked to leave the room and the leader selects another child to be the person to change the number of beats. The first child then re-enters the room and attempts to spot which person is making the change, while a number is passed around the circle. The focus of the game turns very quickly to the fun of choosing who will leave the room and then spotting who has changed the beat; the children do not notice that they are having to concentrate on their fine-motor skills and listening skills.

This game can be kept very simple by limiting the number of beats to three or four and keeping the tempo very steady. Alternatively, the game can be made more difficult by allowing any number of beats (within reason) and gradually increasing the tempo. In general, mistakes will be made through attempts to be too fast, which are funny and not in any way wrong.

Amore advanced version of the game is to use rhythms instead of numbers, which involves particularly good listening skills, as well as rhythm copying and rhythm discrimination skills.

pg 46

Good teaching requires avoiding the point of ‘shut down’

pg 46

It has now been established that there is a strong relationship between rhythm and reading and that, although weak rhythm at this age [5] is not a safe determinant of dyslexia, nevertheless, it is a possible indicator. This raises the interesting question as to whether rhythmic exercises during music lessons could conceivably be useful remedial exercises in assisting dyslexics with literacy…

pg 48

Musical progress should not be limited by reading ability. Melodic memory, rhythmic memory, muscular memory and aural memory may be developed by rote learning, especially if supported in a paired situation, with the teacher singing, playing or clapping/tapping. Greater security and confidence, as well as a sense of success and enjoyment, are gained in this way, and this teaching strategy was employed to good effect. As dyslexics are very familiar with failing, it is essential that self-confidence is fostered at all possible opportunities.

While flexibility is important, it is also important to have some targets for the term and the year which are (a) achievable, (b) hopeful and likely and also (c) improbable but not impossible (as it is important for the
child, parent and teacher to have a tangible result in a defined period of time).

pg 50

Dyslexic children sometimes have difficulty with walking or marching in time with music which has a regular beat. There is an element of multisensory training which can be used both to acquire the specific skill sought and transfer the learning from it, or from acquiring it, into other areas of learning.

pg 51

Music progresses, both on the page and in the heard sounds. Sometimes the concept of time elapsed is a problem for the dyslexic child and the learning of eight progressive bars of music helps remediate the
difficulty. If the child is able to vocalise by singing the tune, or even putting letters or fingering to the tune (maybe a scale), this can reinforce learning in a cumulative multisensory manner.

Visualisation is to be encouraged. Some children can play scales or other music simply by the visualisation of the music on the keyboard in a geographical manner, which is supported by the sound of the music and the discrimination of whether the sound is ‘correct’.

Chapter 7: Can music lessons help the dyslexic learner?

• Sheila Oglethorpe

The question ‘Can music lessons help the dyslexic learner?’ is often asked. … They may mean: ‘If a dyslexic is learning to read music, does it make them better at reading words or even at doing mental arithmetic?’

I think that the majority of people who wonder whether music can help dyslexics are really wondering whether music can help the dyslexic to behave more in a non-dyslexic way. This attitude presupposes that non-dyslexics are somehow more valuable than dyslexics and completely ignores the wonderfully imaginative, creative and lively qualities that dyslexics often bring, particularly to the arts.

Unfortunately, there are dyslexics who have had a miserable time cooped up with intimidating and unhelpful instrumental music teachers who have had a thoroughly negative and sometimes actually detrimental effect on their pupil’s self-esteem.

pg 59

… there are many dyslexics for whom their music lessons have been the one beacon of hope in an otherwise dark and depressing learning experience.

pg 66

There may be no empirical evidence of music lessons helping dyslexics. Experience does show, however, that the musical dyslexic child who has been allowed and encouraged to develop their talent is likely to find that what they have learnt in the music room is reflected in the classroom. Music can assist with the learning of the basics of the literary process by increasing awareness of sequential activity, by improving auditory perception (which helps with reading and spelling), by emphasising the
importance of accurate tracking, and by providing encouragement to read

Success can begin in the first lesson and can be built upon with none of the stresses of competition that are inevitably experienced in the classroom. Eventually, when playing alongside other children or taking part in an instrumental ensemble, another dimension begins that gives enormous satisfaction: the awareness of being part of a team with something unique to contribute. The value of this is inestimable.
Enabling a child to enjoy the satisfaction of partaking in a shared musical experience, where everyone has their own particular obstacles to overcome before the job can be completed and where everyone has to be sensitive to what is being created all the time, gives them a taste of that real comradeship which is so often lacking in the rest of their uphill struggle.

Chapter 8: Parallels between the teaching of musical and mathematical notation

• Tim Miles

pg 68

It is…possible to play and listen to music without a knowledge of its notation, whereas the learning of mathematics cannot even start without a knowledge of the function of the symbols 1, 2, 3 etc. It is widely agreed, however, that those without a knowledge of musical notation are foregoing many of the pleasures of music-making, including the possibility of playing or singing in a huge variety of groups as well as individual work. They may also miss out on the possibility of making a detailed study of a musical score and hence of coming to a better understanding of the composer’s intentions.

Musicians who are dyslexic are likely to need more time than those who are not dyslexic to master the intricacies of musical notation – just as they need more time to master the notation which we call letters of the alphabet.

pg 69

one can think of numerals as instructions as to what to say in order to tell people how many objects are present or the length of a distant object in space or time. Similarly, one can think of musical notation as a set of instructions telling us what notes to play on a musical instrument or what notes to sing. In all these cases there is an association between marks on paper and muscular movements.

Those who teach mathematics to dyslexics and those who teach them music have to deal with what are basically the same problems. It is less easy for a dyslexic than for a non-dyslexic to attach the right name to a particular symbol.

pg 70

How, then, can the learning of arithmetical or musical terms best be taught? It is widely agreed that, whatever the symbols in question – letters of the alphabet, numerals and the symbols used in musical
notation – simply relying on the pupil’s memory is ineffective. The teaching needs first and foremost to be multisensory. ‘Multisensory’ means ‘involving many senses’; in other words, in multisensory teaching one does not teach through vision alone or

through hearing alone. The pupil is encouraged to look carefully at the symbol, to listen carefully to its sound, to pay attention to the mouth movements needed for saying its name and to the hand movements needed for writing or typing it. If all these senses work in conjunction, memorisation becomes much easier. Secondly, the teaching needs to take advantage of the dyslexic’s strengths. Dyslexics tend to be good at reasoning and, once the names of the symbols have been acquired, at doing creative things with them and at recognising regularities and patterns.

Because any notation is likely to present dyslexics with difficulty, it is understandable if they find learning it unpleasant. An important starting point, therefore, is to make them aware that both mathematics and music are things to be enjoyed. That is why it is not good practice to allow them to associate either mathematics or music with the, to them, laborious task of learning notations. A teacher who says to the class (I hope none do!), ‘We are going to do music this morning. Learn this: E-G-B-D-F’ may give the impression to dyslexic children that music is not for them.

pg 73

Cardboard and glue may be useful so that the shapes of the symbols can be handled. Pupils should speak the names of the symbols aloud as they handle them and should listen carefully to the sound of their own
voice as well as to the sounds of the notes which they have written.

The familiar mnemonics (‘Every good boy deserves food’, ‘Always come early Grandma’ etc.) can, of course, be used. In addition, however, it is possible to take advantage of dyslexics’ skill in recognising regularities and patterns. In her original Colour Staff, Hubicki (2001) gave each of the notes fromAtoGa different colour, corresponding to the colours of the spectrum – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (indigo) and violet. Her intention was not to provide a new colour code – this would have been an extra load on the dyslexic’s memory – but rather to highlight regularities of pattern. This is done by placing strips of coloured material on the lines and spaces of the stave.

Chapter 12: Ten top tips and thoughts

• Nigel Clarke

1. Find out what you are good at and work hard to develop that skill.
   Don’t let others knock you off course. Life is not a race: it’s the end
   product that counts.
2. Be open about your problem/learning difficulty. You will find that
   people are generally helpful and understanding.
3. Learn to laugh at yourself. Rather than being resentful that you can’t
   do things, be positive about what you can do.
4. Find out the policy on dyslexia/learning difficulties in the company/
   institution that you work for/study within.
5. Seek out role models that have the same challenges as you, for
   example SirWinston Churchill, who was an educational disaster but
   ended up with the Nobel Prize for Literature.
6. Find someone you can trust who can check your written work.
7. Hard work and preparation are a great form of defence. Much of
   what you do can often be done away from the gaze of others.
8. Regard what you do as an asset and advantage. It’s why you are
   unique!
9. Become a master of your computer spelling and grammar checkers or
   expert in a music-printing programme.
10. Remember there will be a lot you can do that others cannot!

Chapter 15: Similarities and differences in the dyslexic voice

• Paula Bishop-Liebler

pg 117

Commonly reported difficulties for dyslexic musicians include reading musical notation, especially sight-reading, learning new music quickly, rhythmic accuracy – especially from notation – memorising music, scanning music or following a conductor and then finding the right place in the score, sustained concentration and languages for singers.

Singers are a diverse group, especially at the conservatoire level. One reason for this is that the voice matures later in life, which means that many singers come to musical training later than their instrumental
counterparts and some may have had little or no prior musical training. This affects the learning profile of the student. For example, sight-singing may be difficult due to a lack of experience as well as possible processing difficulties associated with dyslexia. Singers also have the added difficulty of words to accompany the music. They will probably need to sing in a variety of languages which they may not have previously studied and may find challenging, owing to their dyslexia. These general and specific points need to be taken into consideration when working with a dyslexic singer, in order to develop appropriate strategies for them.

pg 122

Studying music at a higher education level can in itself create new challenges for dyslexic musicians. The pressures of conservatoire study, the large amount needing to be learnt, the accuracy of performance and, for classical singers, the need to learn music in many different languages can put pressure on the student’s existing strategies. This can mean that even those who have developed effective strategies in the past often need to develop further strategies to maintain progress.

• Individual course requirements differ widely and consequently create different priorities for support. The realities of the career such as the amount of music needed to be learnt in a week will affect the strategies needed. All three students had difficulties with some aspect of reading musical notation and retaining aural information.

When teaching dyslexic musicians, as with all teaching, working with the student’s strengths is imperative for success. In order to do this, I find it useful to spend time building up a detailed picture of the student’s
learning history, mapping the areas that the student currently finds easy and difficult, and identifying their preferred learning styles. This is followed by prioritising areas for initial development. As these students
are usually already highly experienced musicians, the areas of difficulty are often subtle and complex.

Chapter 16: Thirty-seven oboists

• Carolyn King

I describe my experiences as an oboe teacher, and how I used the Bangor Dyslexia Test (BDT; Miles, 1997) as a screening test for dyslexia. Some of my pupils were dyslexic; some not. Brief sketches are given of a few individual pupils and attention is drawn to differences between those who are and those who are not dyslexic.

Chapter 17: Suzuki benefits for children with dyslexia

• Jenny Macmillan

pg 137

Teaching programmes for people with dyslexia need to be structured, sequential, cumulative, thorough and multisensory. Plenty of listening to music, repetition of assignments, participating in group lessons, learning initially by ear and activities aimed at building pupils’ self-confidence are recommended. The Suzuki programme covers all these issues.

The ability to play a musical instrument offers enjoyment and satisfaction, and raises self-esteem. However, learning to play an instrument requires concentration, co-ordination and memory, as well as
auditory, motor and spatial skills – all areas in which people with dyslexia may encounter difficulties.

Chapter 19: Insights from brain imaging

• Katie Overy

pg 151

… extraordinary developments in brain-imaging technology have made it possible to capture the patterns of brain activity while they actually occur. These techniques are all quite different, relying on electrical signals, magnetic signals, changing oxygen levels and/or blood flow.

pg 153

Neural processing of music

While research is still very much in progress, there is a growing consensus that musical experience activates many different regions of the brain, since it involves highly complex perceptual, cognitive and motor skills, in addition to aesthetic and emotional responses.

pg 154

One particularly interesting finding is the discovery that rhythmic listening tasks seem to activate motor regions of the brain in addition to auditory regions.

… fMRI studies examining the difference between regular and irregular rhythms have found that rhythms with a strong regular beat show more activation of the basal ganglia, an area of the brain known to be involved in generating movement (Grahn and Brett, 2007). Other tasks, such as comparing rhythms or tapping to rhythms, have been found to activate the cerebellum, a region traditionally associated with
balance, timing and motor control, as well as the pre-motor cortex, which is involved in preparing for movement (Parsons, 2001; Sakai et al., 1999).

pg 154

One brain region of particular interest here is a left-hemisphere frontal region known as Broca’s area, which is well established as a language region of the brain centrally involved in speech production. An
increasing number of neuro-imaging studies have found Broca’s area to be activated during musical listening tasks, such as rhythm processing and melodic and harmonic discrimination (Platel et al., 1997; Brown and Martinez, 2006). It has also been found that musicians show increased activation in this network (Bangert et al., 2006), which lends some support to the numerous studies suggesting that musicians tend to outperform non-musicians on language tasks (Chan et al., 1998; Kilgour et al., 2000) and also leads to fascinating questions about the potential effects of musical training on the brain.

pg 155

Neural differences associated with musical training

One major reason for an increasing amount of research into the musical brain is the current scientific interest in neural plasticity, that is the potential of the brain to change in response to its environment. Musicians are a particularly interesting experimental group for this type of work, since they spend thousands of hours practising over many years, developing not only expert musicianship but also extraordinary motor skills.

Further studies have suggested that musicians show increased grey matter (indicating the amount of neurons present) in Broca’s area and in the primary auditory cortex (Sluming et al., 2002; Schneider et al., 2002).

pg 156

Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that musicians can also show differences in neural activation patterns during non-musical tasks. Broca’s area, for example (involved in speech production, as discussed
above), seems to show stronger activation in musicians compared to non-musicians during spatio-temporal reasoning tasks and rapid temporal processing tasks (Sluming et al., 2007; Gaab et al., 2005), while even the brain stem of musicians has been found to respond more effectively to speech signals (Wong et al., 2007).