Do you want to know how to teach LD students music? The archive contains posts about teaching LD students music.
Some people say that the acronym LD means Learning Disabilities, while others say that it means Learning Differences.
Both terms have some relevancy. Students with LD usually have average or above average intelligence. However, they have areas where they struggle to learn. Thus, why some call LD learning disabilities, because of the difficulty with learning.
Nevertheless, a case has been made that students with LD learn in an essentially different way. Thus, why some call LD learning differences. This is the view taken in The Successful Music Student blogs.
Having a strong visual-spatial aptitude is linked to both learning disabilities and to talent in music, art, and math.
Look at the bug on the cube below. Which surface does the bug rest on? Front or back?
Did you see the cube flip back and forth? This illusion is called an unstable object. The mind needs more information to resolve the picture. As a result, your brain keeps switching how it sees the cube.
People with LD perceive something similar to this illusion as they see letters, numbers, and musical symbols move around on the page.
Since many people with LD have strong visual-spatial abilities, they are more prone to these types of optical illusions. Therefore, a learning difference can turn into a learning disability.
Intuitive, creative, original thinkers, visual-spatial learners have often had an impact on science, the arts, and sports.
However, when it comes to interpreting abstract symbols, strong spatial abilities can cause problems. The good news? Multisensory teaching can help the LD student learn effectively.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page
I’m honored to announce that I’ve been included in the Marquis Who’s Who biographies. While the biography briefly covers all of my music career, my work with LD and special needs students caught their attention. This led them to decide to include me in their listing. Read more. Estimated reading time 1 minutes.
Who’s Who Biographies Adds Geoffrey Keith Read More »
Do you get confused about the different types of solfege? Which is better for sight singing music? Fixed or moveable Do solfege? Read “Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shapes Notes” for practical suggestions on how to sing music with lots of sharp and flats.
Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Singing Chromatic Solfege Using Shape Notes: Moveable vs Fixed Do Read More »
Has your student been playing color coded music notes and is ready to graduate? Have you wondered how to get to your student to play a color free score? The “How to Graduate from Color Coded Music Notes” series will show you how. Read more to understand contour lines and how to use them as the first step toward moving on from the colors.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
How to Graduate from Color Coded Music Notes: Part 1 Read More »
Do you have a hard time reading piano notes? (Or are you a teacher who has students that struggle with note reading?) Many pianists find note reading a challenge, but especially LD, ADD, and special needs musicians. Read more to learn about playing the piano with color coded notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Playing the Piano with Color Coded Notes Read More »
Have you learned how to sightread relative minor melodies, but want to be able to sing parallel minor too? We’ve already learned about La based shape note solfege minor melodies. In this post, you’ll learn about Do based shape note solfege as well. Read more to find out about singing shape note parallel minor melodies. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Singing Shape Note Parallel Minor Melodies Read More »
Do you have a hard time reading rhythm notation? (Or are you a teacher who has students that struggle with rhythm?) This remains a common issue with many musicians, but especially with LD, ADD, and special needs students. Read more to learn color coded quarter note clapping. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping Read More »
Have you mastered reading basic sixteenth notes rhythmic syllables and want to be able to perform dotted eight note/sixteenth note pairs? The more complex the rhythm becomes, the more fun you’ll have with the melodies. Read more to learn about singing dotted eighth note rhythm. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Singing Dotted Eighth Note Rhythm Read More »
Have you gotten down reading the easier rhythmic syllables, but want to learn more? As you progress, you will hear that the added rhythm makes performing melodies much more fun. Read more to learn about singing sixteenth note rhythmic syllables. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Singing Sixteenth Note Rhythmic Syllables Read More »
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.
How to Use Color Coded Note Head Extenders for LD and Special Needs Rhythm Learning Read More »
Have you learned how to sight sing natural minor melodies, but want to be able to sing harmonic minor too? I can help. Read more to learn about singing shape note harmonic minor melodies. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Singing Shape Note Harmonic Minor Melodies Read More »