The archive contains posts about teaching ADD students music.
Do you want to know a secret about ADD? It is not a deficit of attention. In fact, students with ADD have excessive amounts of attention.
Sensitive to their surroundings, the person with ADD has problems with random stimuli. Namely, a ticking clock can become really distracting when a student with ADD tries to study.
If a noise suddenly happens in the room, it can become very hard for the person with ADD to ignore it. Because they have too much attention, everything grabs their focus.
This makes it hard for ADD students to keep to a task. It gets even harder when there are new and fun things to distract them.
Sorting out sensory data remains an issue. However, what appears to be a self-control issue in school, can become an asset in the real world. Let me give you an example:
What color is the apple?
If you said red, look again. Does it just look red?
When you look closely, you can easily see many colors across the skin of the apple. Dark cloudy patches, white and yellow spots, and a brown stem all appear on the surface of the apple. If you said the apple looks red, then you unconsciously filtered out the other colors to quickly label it by its main hue.
This type of sorting does not come easily to students with ADD. Nonetheless, the talent to look beyond the simple label to see all of the colors that appear on the fruit remains a critical skill if you wish to correctly paint a picture of the apple.
Therefore, the student with ADD can easily connect together outwardly unconnected information, because they do not quickly filter out seemingly unrelated data. This tendency helps fuel their creativity.
Curious George always gets in trouble because of his curiosity. However, it turns out he would have made a good scientist (or he would if he was human).
Similarly, students with ADD often get in trouble for being distractible. However, they are also creative and interested in diverse topics of learning. They have a sense of curiosity about them, an important trait for scientists.
“One of the most important qualities of a good scientist is curiosity. Curiosity makes a scientist ask why things happen. It makes him or her eager to learn more or test an idea” (Spectrum Science Grade 3 8).
ADD students are observant. True, ADD students have a hard time with filtering. However, the flip side is that they may just discover something that no one else noticed before. Kinda like Einstein did with the speed of light.
Creating and interpreting music needs this type of curiosity and creativity as well.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
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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.
Playing the Piano with Color Coded Rhythm, Fingering, and Notes Read More »
“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.
Can I Become a Music Teacher if I Have Special Needs? Read More »
“How do I switch from singing shaped notes to standard notation?” Because they’re easy to read, shape notes will always be a good choice for struggling readers, and it makes a great introduction to solfege too. However, the limited shape note repertoire means that shape note singers may want to learn to read standard notation as well. Click to learn how to transition from shaped notes to standard notation. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
How Do I Switch from Singing Shaped Notes to Standard Notation – Part 1 Read More »
![Do People with ADHD Have Difficulty Playing from Sheet Music - Girl with Violin - Prodigy Meaning: Examples of Special Talent in Music [Video] - 50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes](https://successmusicstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Do-People-with-ADHD-Have-Difficulty-Playing-from-Sheet-Music-Girl-with-Violin-682x1024.jpg)
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.
Do People with ADHD Have Difficulty Playing from Sheet Music? Read More »
Why is it important to sing the dynamics for a piece of music? Dynamics play an important role in notated music, helping bring interest and variety to your songs. If you want help understanding how dynamic signs work, click to answer the question: “Why is it important to define the dynamics to sing a piece of music?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Why is it Important to Define the Dynamics to Sing a Piece of Music? Read More »
Do your students mix up the ledger line notes? Click to learn the process of how to graduate from the color coded music notation. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Notation: Part 4 Read More »
Has your child been asking about music lessons? Have you worried about how it will go? Learning how to play an instrument will help build your child’s self-confidence and self-concept. But what types of instruments will work best with your child’s learning style? In today’s post, we’ll discuss what you should consider when selecting an instrument. Click to answer the question, “What is a good instrument for a dyslexic child to learn?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
What Is a Good Instrument for a Dyslexic Child to Learn? Read More »
Do you find sight reading hard to do? Have you ever asked if there is a better way to learn sight singing? Shape notes can really help. Click to answer the question, “Is there a better way to learn sight singing?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Is There a Better Way to Learn Sight Singing? Read More »
Do you have a hard time reading music? Have you ever wondered if color coding the music notes would help? Read more to find out the answer to the question, “Is there a color code for music notes?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Is There a Color Code for Music Notes? Read More »
Do visual spatial thinkers (and other neurodivergent) musicians need to have sheet music tailored to how they learn? Neurodivergent musicians learn in fundamentally different ways from typical leaners. This means that students with learning differences (LD) can greatly benefit from adapted scores. Read more to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.