Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Have you ever had a really distractable student who keeps missing features of the score? I know I have. Luckily, color does not need to be limited to color coding. Read more to learn how to color the music score to bring staccato, legato, pedal, dynamics, and accents to the foreground by using a highlighter and red pen.
How to Color the Music Score to Focus on Legato and Staccato
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Apply color to the music score by highlighting the slurs in the score so that they pop off the page. Next, circle the staccato dots in red pen to bring them forward. I used to circle the slurs, crescendo, and decrescendo symbols in red as well. However, this cluttered the score, so I switched to yellow highlighter.
How to Color the Music Score to Focus on Dynamics and Pedal
- When applying color to the music score, circle all the dynamics in red, except for the crescendo and decrescendo symbols. Highlight them instead. If the words crescendo or decrescendo/diminuendo are instead printed in the score, use the red pen for the words. However, still use the yellow highlighter for the dashed line.
- Notice how I use red arrows to point out where a student needs to get louder when performing the crescendo. This makes sure the student does not get loud too quickly or too slowly.
- One of my students on the autistic spectrum had a problem with pedaling. I found it difficult to get him to press down the piano’s pedal when I pointed at the score. When I started highlighting the pedal symbol, he no longer had any problems seeing when he needed to press down.
Many Highlighter Colors and How to Color the Music
There are many highlighter colors, but I stick with yellow. It seems to be the best for focusing the student’s attention on the highlighted notation.
- I have known other music teachers, including one who works with ADD, LD, ASD, and special needs students, who used a variety of highlighter colors to differentiate various features of the score. So far, I have not needed that much variety. If you wish for more options, you can use any highlighter color you want, giving the score a stratified effect.
- Effective use of multisensory teaching can make the difference between success and failure, especially for special needs and LD students. Color the music score and watch your students achieve the next level of playing beyond notes and rhythms.
Accents have a slightly different treatment and will be dealt with in the next post.
© 2020 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
Color Coding Musical Accents Using the Shape Note Advantage for Accurate Special Needs and LD Performance
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.
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How to Use Color Coded Note Head Extenders for LD and Special Needs Rhythm Learning
Have you ever had students who don’t hold their notes long enough? This remains a very common problem with all students, not just with ADD, LD, and special needs students. Read more to find out how color coded note head extenders can help your students to read rhythm better. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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Writing Great Songs Using Rhythmic Motifs
Want to be able to write catchy, memorable songs? Rhythm helps us to distinguish one melody from another. It can also add unity and variety to your melodies. Read more to learn about writing great songs using rhythmic motifs. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
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Singing Schwa Vowels
Do you have a hard time singing words like “lung,” “ton,” and “done” with a strong tone? Many vocalists find neutral vowels tricky to sing with good resonance. The most common neutral vowel in English is the schwa, which you can find in words like “the,” “a,” and “up.” Good vowel production remains a critical skill for vocalists. Vowels help with singing in tune and good vocal tone and resonance. All of these things revolve around how you perform your vowels. Read more to learn about singing schwa vowels. Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
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