Posted by Art on January 13, 2001 at 10:02:40:
In Reply to: Help! I have a student with Dislexia posted by Kendall Prinz on January 12, 2001 at 17:43:28:
Focussing attention on the student's reading difficulty will discourage him or her from continuing with the instrument. Concentrate instead on PLAYING. Work on scales and Arban-style exercises that have simple, monotonous patterns. Help the student memorize the school band parts. And work on playing by ear and improvising bass lines to popular songs. I know lots of fine jazz musicians who can barely read music but who can still enjoy a lifetime of music. For me reading is still a daily struggle, but I am now mature enough to work hard on it. When I was a kid it would have driven me to quit. One thing that helps is to put a challenging piece of music such as a written-out Armstrong solo into my computer and print it out in bass clef in several different keys and record it from the computer at a moderately challenging tempo via MIDI onto a cassette. Then I play along, trying to read in unison with the tape. Another thing that helps is playing duets with anybody who can spare the time. Both activities make practicing fun instead of a chore, and that's the secret of success.
-been there-