The Blog Category Is Expanding:
I’ve expanded the blog category to include general special needs topics in addition to the adapted score posts.
The Adapted Score:
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:
The previous topic lists will be updated periodically. See the post grid below for the full list and full descriptions with featured images.
– Geoffrey Keith
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page
What are sharps and flats, where did they come from, and how can we make it easier to read them? Read more to learn how to color code key signatures. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Color Code Key Signatures for LD Students Read More »
Have you ever had a piano student who couldn’t tell the treble from the bass clef? Learn how to color code the clefs for LD students. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Color Coded Clefs for LD and Special Needs Students Read More »
Does your student have a problem telling the right hand from the left? Many LD and special needs students have problems with left hand/right hand confusion. On piano this can be a real issue. Read more to learn how to color code hand icons in music scores. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Color Coded Hand Icons for Music Learning with Special Needs & LD Students Read More »
Does your student confuse the notes on the instrument? Learn how color coding musical instruments leads to LD and special needs success. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Color Coding Musical Instruments for LD & Special Needs Student Success Read More »
Does your student use the wrong fingers? Color coding the fingers for music learning enables LD students to accurately finger the music for smoother playing and faster response time. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Want to read music? Does your child or music student have a hard time reading notes? Color coding music notation can help. I had a student with amnesia who would forget everything she had learned from the previous lesson. However, she was able to learn beginner level piano music with hands together. Find out how color coding helps students like her. Estimated reading time 11 minutes.
Color Coding Music for Success Read More »
Tablature creates a picture of the guitar neck. However, many LD students become confused by tab despite its visual appearance.
In other words, they become dazzled by the shimmer created by the contrast of the black and white lines of the notation. Color-coding the strings helps reduce the confusion that students experience, assisting them in effectively reading the score. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
How to Color Code Guitar Tab to Empower LD Achievement Read More »
We approach accents differently than other types of articulations. It is not just about using color to make the accents pop off the page. Using shapes creates a guide for when to play louder. Consequently, for accents we take our example from shape notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Color does not need to be limited to color-coding. Bring staccato, legato, pedal, dynamics, and accents to the foreground by using a highlighter and red pen. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Even among typical learners, students find alternate picking and strumming challenging. It is one of the few color-coding strategies I use with every student. Using color-coded arrows as a guide to alternate picking effectively shows students how to accurately execute the picking patterns. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking Read More »