Dyslexia and the piano

[pianowelsh]

Teaching dyslexic students is an issue not really covered in great length by many courses and books! Do any of you have experience of teaching dyslexics or indeed are you a dyslexic pianist yourself.  Could you briefly set down some of the major challenges you have faced reconcilling dyslexia with the highly complexed coordination required for playing of the piano

[chocolatedog]

There is a book published in the UK by Sheila Oglethorpe called (I think) "Instrumental Music For Dyslexics: A Teaching Handbook" Click here!

Also available from amazon.com - sorry I always look up on amazon.co.uk. Price 43 dollars or something similar........ click here also! (for anyone who needs the .com link rather than .co.uk link...........)

[lostinidlewonder]

Because I read piano music more than I do written words sometimes I will read a sentence and cannot help reading other lines at once, thus I say the words which are on the later line instead of the one I should. Also when I teach young students who cannot remember which note to press I find myself quite often pointing at the note and then fumbling trying to say the right letter, I see the note position in my minds eye and not necessarily consider the note as a name.

I have taught little students who do not even know the alphabet, thus teaching dyslexic students probably the best way is to get them to observe pattern instead of naming notes. When they read notes from the sheet music do not ask what is the name of the note but where is that note exactly on the piano. Find connection between the dots on the sheet to pattern on the keyboard, that is the way I have always looked at the piano and cannot think any other way. Because I learnt the piano by ear before I could even read letters I find myself not thinking about the piano this is a C here or this is a D, rather this is the note which is to the left of the two blacks and this is the note inbetween the two blacks. If I play something like CE I consider playing the notes which are at the base of the 2 black notes, or if I play FB they are the base of the three blacks. Pattern observation of the keyboard is essential.

Also training the ear to know what sounds right and wrong and where to correct yourself is important. I get little kids who have no idea about letters to correct wrong sounding notes, like I will play say... Mary and a Little Lamb and play a wrong note, then ask them how to correct it. It gives them a sense of where the sounds are on the keyboard, learning with the right brain observing sound and patterns. Often when they make a mistake in a piece I will immediately tell them; "Stop! Don't move your fingers leave them where they are. Now there is a wrong note here, play it one more time" they play it again, they get to that position I asked them to stop, they point out to me the wrong note by playing it a few times, then they attempt to correct it themselves. I might say that one note sounds a little low doesn't it? etc.
 

[zheer]

some of the major challenges you have faced reconcilling dyslexia with the highly complexed coordination required for playing of the piano

  Dyslexia is'nt a bad word, the reason why i believe that is because it's too easy just to call someone stupid or lazy . The fact of the matter is people that are or were dyslexic like myself find very simple day to day activity a challenge. Like concentration and coordination, this does eventually lead to a lack of confidance and all sort of other things. However if Dyslexia is addressed at a young age, it is possible to overcome very basic difficulty like reading and writting.

[opus10no2]

Imagine if pianistimo were dyslexic..

This would be like the kennel club forum