No Child Left Behind. . . part two

Learning to read music is similar to learning to read. Some kids seem like they were born reading and some kids struggle.  Some kids really struggle.  So how do we we approach reading music when kids really struggle?  I think we approach it in the same way we would approach learning to read with phonetics.  The music symbols represent sound.  We need to be very comfortable with the symbols and with the sounds.  I can think of three really important principles regarding this:  keep it easy, work at the child's pace, and separate the knowledge from time sensitive testing--like rhythm.  This first two are pretty straight forward.  Kids that struggle shut down when things get hard.  We need to keep it really easy and move at a very slow pace with a ton of lateral learning.  Remember--many many books at one level.  Just because the book is moving on doesn't mean the child is ready.  I often bring in more books at the same level to reinforce.

The third is a little crazy.  What?  Separate music from rhythm?  Well.  This is something I am curious about.  I have read a little about ADD and some other learning situations.  It seems like the pre-frontal cortex of children and adults with these learning challenges does not function under pressure.  In other words, if the child is tested over information at a gentle pace they might get 100%.  When tested under a time constraint they fail.  The harder they try, the more the brain misfires.

Dog-gonnit--reading music is the ultimate under pressure time constraint test.  No wonder so many of us shut down when trying to sight read. Simple things become hard in tempo.  Even those of us who aren't diagnosed with ADD can panic under time pressure.  I hate sight reading at tempo in front of the church choir for instance. . .

Most of the time when I ask kids a question and then just wait, they eventually come up with the answer.  Sometimes you have to wait what may seem like a long time while they are thinking.  But if they learn that they are not under a time constraint the brain will function smoothly and the answers start to come at a natural pace.  I think we can approach the primer level of reading music in the same way.  Give the struggling reader as much time as they need to process the information.  Set some goals and limits--like we won't pass out of this level until the student can count and play the pieces in the suggested tempos.  Then take your time--literally and figuratively.  Let the pre-frontal cortex work at it's own pace.

P.S. Holiday music (secular or sacred) can be a great boost to young readers.  We work on Christmas music from October to December. Everyone enjoys this and for kids that are struggling it is a real link between what they know the music sounds like and what it looks like on the page.  Alfred even has separate books for sacred and secular songs.   Of course I'm about as in the mood for that now as I am for the 10 foot snowbank next to my driveway, but they don't make whole books of Valentine's and Easter music. . .