amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 My son is a drummer. He can read drum music. He just joined a homeschool band and the director has him on bells as well as snare. Just snare will be very boring. The band is new and most kids have no experience with anything, so it's not as if he has to catch up to anything. I need to figure out how to not only get him reading music up and down the staff, but get him to understand the connection between the notes and the bells, and somehow help him understand the length of notes (whole vs half vs quarter doesn't mean a whole lot in drums or bells or when clapping because you can't hold a note, but it's discussed and over his head during band lessons). He's not able to understand instruction in a group. He can pretend and successfully follow along, but is lost after the lesson. We also have a piano and trumpet that could be used. What are your best resources for beginning music? (Autism, low iq, ADHD, not motivated to learn) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Have been considering this, but I haven't purchased it yet... http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/cool-cast-of-characters-live-on-in-the-imagination/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 That site looks like primarily business management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauranc Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Product is this: http://rightbrainmusic.com/products-2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Is he using a band book? The book should walk you through learning the notes. Do you have a glockenspiel to practice on at home? Are you allowed to go in a few days a week to practice? If you're allowed to go in to practice on the real bells, then what you might do is make a paper version to practice or practice on a glockenspiel. Then it's just a size difference when you go in. My impression is some kids with dyslexia learn to read music and some don't. I tried with my dd (adhd, no dyslexia) for years and years. Then she hit 14 and BAM it clicked. She sat down and started picking the notes out, reading sheet music, and taught herself. I've seen people saying this happened with their kids too, that there was no success and them bam. But in her case it was obvious something was wrong. She could read the music and tell you the note OR she could strike the note when told what note. But to read and strike the note (on piano or bells), oh the torture! So my advice is, if you're going to work on it (which you can, fine, great, do it), practice the direct act of reading the note with his eyes and striking it with his hands. I think the issue is crossing the two sides of the brain, that you need the wiring. So know that you might be making new wiring on top of learning to play, which could make it less fun. On the other hand, once the wiring is there he may proceed and do better than you expect! My dd can now sit down and play pieces by sight reading. She's never going to major or anything, but it's coming. And I spent years thinking it was hopeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 The band director did let us borrow a glockenspiel and I'm looking for one that I can afford. We accidentally grabbed the one without the notes on it, so he's spent the week learning that. I have a piano and can mark off keys to match the glockenspiel for more practice. I may put the letter note as well as staff note taped on the piano keys and write the notes in his book for a while. As we go, I'll stop labeling a single note and remove that paper. Eventually remove another, etc. The read and strike will be hand over hand for a while. They're using the Standard in Excellence book which I've heard is a pain because it jumps around a bit. I have 2 beginner piano books that we can try as well. I may even work out of the 3 books just so he doesn't get stuck in one. His drum teacher is going to keep an eye on his drum reading ability and make sure we're not replacing the knowledge with other music. Ds's brain likes to drop a skill to make room for a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Honestly, that's what I think was crunchy for dd, the note names. There was some kind of animal learning to read program that used faces maybe? We didn't try it. I'm not saying to buy more. I'm just cautioning you it might not work out well. You're reading with one side of the brain and striking the mallet or piano key with the other and you have a kid with midline issues hampering that connection. The more direct and one-step the better is my advice. Yes, if she gave you a glockenspiel, stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Barcelona Publishers has a bunch of books for music therapists. I'm looking at perhaps getting this one, but it might be too simple for your son: http://www.barcelonapublishers.com/e-books/learning-music I'm also looking at getting Clive & Carol Robbins' "Music for the Hearing Impaired" for my DD. Probably not relevant to the OP's son but I wanted to mention for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Barcelona Publishers has a bunch of books for music therapists. I'm looking at perhaps getting this one, but it might be too simple for your son: http://www.barcelonapublishers.com/e-books/learning-music I'm also looking at getting Clive & Carol Robbins' "Music for the Hearing Impaired" for my DD. Probably not relevant to the OP's son but I wanted to mention for future reference. Ooo, those Levin books look great! It's silly, but my aunt is a retired music therapist and I hadn't even thought to ask her about ds. (She worked with vets, not kids, so she might not have much opinion.) He's just starting to notice higher and lower pitches. I guess we'll keep going the way we are. It doesn't look like the Levin books are meant to tackle that, though maybe they will? I ordered a couple to try with him. Guess we'll see! I had gone to visit a place about music therapy, thinking they might be able to help, but the Levin books are what it sounds like they were saying their therapist could do. I won't have scholarship money to cover music AND speech AND ot AND... so that's great that I have a way now to do it myself. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I've been thinking handbells might be a good starter instrument for DD2 because they are color-coded and they will always play the correct notes. DD1 thinks her sister should learn the upright bass when she's older (assuming that the frequencies are within the range that she can still hear) and learning the basics of music theory now should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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