When people say autism, the movie Rain Man springs to mind for many people. The movie paints the picture of a man who has limited ability to communicate and socialize, with little awareness of his surroundings. However, he possesses a gift for math.
I’ve taught students who acted like Rain Man. However, not all people with autism are gifted, and many people socialize well enough that it’s not instantly obvious that they are autistic.
Autism is often described as a spectrum (ASD) because there is such a great range of behaviors and abilities for people with autism.
I have a friend with ASD, and he likes to say that autism is a learning disability. However, it’s not an academic learning disability, it’s a social one. Academic learning disabilities (LD) can also manifest alongside ASD.
Nevertheless, people with ASD will generally have a difficulty with picking up on facial and vocal social cues. This makes socializing difficult. They will also have difficulty with change and will also be passionate about their interests. Sometimes they will become so involved with the things they’re passionate about that it makes socializing with others problematic.
Because autism lies on a spectrum, autistic musicians can interact with music in many ways. Some people with ASD will be talented musicians who have an excellent ability to sight read. These students will generally respond well to traditional teaching methods. However, because of the social issues, music teachers will still need to be sensitive to the student’s needs.
Other music students on the spectrum will also have LD. For these students, adapted music lessons, with an emphasis on color coding, will be effective.
Students who trend toward the classic end of the spectrum will often benefit from music therapy more than adapted music lessons. However, some classic autistic students do fine with adapted music lessons.
I recently attended an online conference at Berklee College of Music called the ABLE Assembly. In this specific session, the presenters talked about how iPads can provide an access point for special needs students. Mainly, they focused on students with extreme coordination issues.
They showed how to use the accessibility controls in Garage Band to tailor the iPad to each student’s strengths. The results were really good and provided a way for students, who would not do well in traditional music lessons, to interact with the music.
– Geoffrey Keith
See the posts below for full descriptions.
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
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“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 switch from minor key shaped notes to standard notation?” Sight singing minor keys in standard notation can be challenging. Because it can be difficult to figure out if you’re in a major key or the relative minor. Read more to learn how to transition from shaped notes to standard notation for minor keys. 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.
Do you want to sing Eastern European folk melodies and mediaeval chants? Are you puzzled about how the aeolian mode works? Modes have been a feature of music from ancient times to today. Singing Shape Note Solfege Aeolian Melodies lets you explore the exotic sound of the aeolian mode. 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.