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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Do you get confused by musical diagrams? Do you want to learn how to turbocharge the learning process? Look no further, I can help. Read more to learn about color coding musical diagrams. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Have you ever wanted to sing Mediterranean music or ancient melodies? Do you want to know how to perform modal music? Modes create the feel of exotic music from around the world and from ancient times. “Singing Shape Note Solfege Phrygian Melodies” will help you discover the world of modes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do your students get confused by space note D at the bottom of the treble staff? Or do they have a problem with space note B on the top of the bass staff? Read more to learn how to switch from color coded notes to special mnemonics, allowing students to graduate from the color coded music score. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Having trouble singing 6-8 rhythms? Do you find compound meter (such as 6-8, 9-8, and 12-8) confusing? The sing-along soundtracks will help! Read more to learn about singing rhythm syllables in 6-8 time. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Music teachers, do you have students that complain that the music’s too hard? Or do they act out a lot? This happens when students worry that they will fail. How can we, as music teachers, fix the situation? Read more to learn how to deal with students who act out in music lessons. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Have you ever wanted to sing exotic music from long ago or far away? Do you have trouble performing modal music? Modes can create the feel of mysterious sounding mediaeval chants, some old timey folk and roots music, and exotic types of ethic and world music. Every other month we will explore a new mode. “Singing Shape Note Solfege Dorian Melodies” will start you down your path of discovery.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Does reading eighth note rhythm notation give you fits? (Or do your students struggle with eighth notes?) Many musicians have trouble reading rhythm, especially ADD, ASD, LD, and special needs students. Read more to learn color coded eighth note clapping.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you have difficulty singing dotted half notes? The sing-along song tracks can help! Read more to learn about singing dotted half note rhythm syllables.
Estimated reading time 9 minutes.
Do your students get the deer-in-the-headlights look when you quiz them on rhythm? Are you looking for a great way to engage your kids when working on clapping? Legos make a fun way to help your students get rhythm. All you need are Legos and a marker. Read more to learn about Lego rhythm manipulatives.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Are you confused about how to chant the Kodaly rhythm syllables in cut time? Do you wonder if it’s like chanting 2/4 or 4/4 syllables? Don’t worry, this post has you covered! Read more to learn about singing rhythm syllables in cut time.
Estimated reading time 3 minutes.