Why color code music? Color has appeared in music scores for as long as there has been music notation. Moreover, color is a proven, powerful teaching tool. George L. Rogers has shown that color coding provides an access point for LD and special needs students for score reading.
With color, the special needs and LD students in his study exceled at sight reading tasks. However, without the color, they were entirely unable to read the score at all.
Therefore, students have the opportunity to experience success and thus avoid the failure that often comes with more traditional approaches. For many of these students, success is critically important. Success helps with both self-concept and self-esteem.
The cornerstone category article:
The posts may be read in any order, but I suggest that you read these two posts first:
Playing and clapping exercises:
Graduating from the color coding
The remaining posts can be read in any order you like:
These posts focus on non-color-coding special needs issues:
Learning differences posts:
See the posts below for full descriptions.
– Geoffrey Keith
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page
“What do you think of the Chord Buddy for special needs guitarists?” I first heard about using the Chord Buddy with special needs students from Sarah Fard at the 2019 Able Assembly. However, I’ve found it works better for some students than for others. Read more to find out who benefits. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to know what the advantages of dyslexia are? How can people with dyslexia seem to have terrible memories sometimes, but not others? “He could remember events perfectly, even those that happened when he was an infant” (The Gift of Dyslexia 96). Episodic memory has a central role in the thinking process of many dyslexics which helps explain this puzzling fact. Also, it’s one of the four benefits to dyslexia. Keep reading to learn what the advantages of dyslexia are and how episodic memory plays a part in that. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“Once sheet music is all digital, why not always colour-code notes?” Since most sheet music can now come in digital format, will there be any good reason not to color code the notes all the time? I’ve long advocated using color coding for helping special needs students to learn music from sheet music. However, the opening suggestion (by a person on social media) goes one step further. It proposes making a permanent change to how people read sheet music. Click to find out the arguments for and against adopting universal color coded music notation. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Do you want to know some of the positives to having dyslexia? Does all information seem connected to you? Global thinking is the capacity to see cohesive relationships between different domains of knowledge. It’s also one of the four strengths resulting from dyslexic brain structure. Keep reading to learn the details of how everything being connected to everything else can be a positive aspect of having dyslexia. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do I finally get my students to be able to read music without color coding?” In today’s post, we’ll look at the last stage of graduating from the colors: flashcards. Keeping reading to learn how to graduate from color coded music symbols. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want your autistic child to play piano? Or are you an adult with autism who’s wondering if piano would be a good fit? Playing piano brings a lot of benefits beyond just the fun of playing music. Read more to find out the answer to the question, “Is playing the piano a suitable activity for autistic people?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Would you like to introduce your kid to piano? (Or are you a music teacher who has a student with learning difficulties?) Multisensory teaching methods will help! Click to learn about playing piano with color coded left hand notes and rhythm. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Can’t read piano music? (Or does your child have difficulty reading music?) Color coded notes and rhythms can help! Click to learn about playing the piano with color coded rhythm, fingering, and notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“Can I become a music teacher if I have special needs?” Having special needs doesn’t automatically bar you from teaching. In fact, if you want to teach special needs students, you have an edge as a teacher. Click to find out how you can become a special needs music teacher. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Are you a parent or a music teacher of an ADHD student who struggles with reading music? Though many people with ADHD have a hard time reading music, multisensory teaching methods can help! Click to answer the question, “Do people with ADHD have difficulty playing from sheet music?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.