Developmentally Disabled - Suggestions Anyone?

Hellene,

Thanks so much. So here is where we are! I have gotten lots of advice and we've implemented it in stages.

Yes - cleaner keys. I pulled all color stickers off the keyboard. It only helps when using LM. What I've figured out from using a magnet staff and SM note heads is that all the kids - including Cayla can properly place the notes on the staff. They are all reading music at a basic level. So, the colors were not helpful.

Next - with the advice from Beth at melody.me.uk/ and suggestions from The Moon we had Cayla start playing do-do using her thumb, then her index finger and then her pointer. We've been doing this for a couple weeks now. She can play do-do with her left pinky finger and her right thumb at the same time!!!!!! Yeah for her!

On Friday we introduced the do finger, re finger etc. With my help we played HCB. She was very frustrated but understood what we were trying to do. The little pumpkin kept at it and she can play do-mi and mi-do. It is slow and she picks up her entire hand and has to think about what to do next before she plays the key, but that is to be expected.

She is making excellent progress.

If anyone is interested in helping children with Learning Diaibilities play music I would recommend the resource melody.me.uk/ Beth was very helpful and responded to my query quickly. I don't see any reason why these children should be left out. I also appreciated that she has high hopes and expectations of these special children like I do.

Hellene, I am so grateful that you have invested yourself in this program. I know that last few months and probably years have not been easy going. I think about Cayla a little over a year ago before I found you. She had a love and passion for music but her only avenue for enjoyment was listening. It was slow going at first but a year later she can read music and play and play and play. She is just 4. I don't think we will ever know what kind of lasting effects this program has had on her. Anyway, thanks!

Here is Miss Cayla learning to use her left thumb to play the scales:

Miss Cayla played HCB through with her entire RH this week:

Numbers:

Thursday HCB 13/68 11/56 11/75
Guess Key 3/104 5/115 3/82


Friday HCB 13/38 14/36 13/36
Guess Key 5/104 2/91

She hates guess key. But that is the easiet starting place for the other "games".

AuntQL posted few videos and their description. I translated each, see the links below to the Russian thread:


Pauline, a 6 year old cute little girl, learning to play left hand. Here's the translated message and video description .


Pauline and Nutcracker piece: Here's the translated message and video description

Pauline and Guess Key game: http://softmozart.com/forum/16-qq-/7867

---

.html?limit=6&start=18#8590[/url]

What do the teachers conclude, after Pauline's videos and here we find about what helped Pauline: Tomatis Method.

Mrs.Post wrote: Hellene,

Thanks so much. So here is where we are! I have gotten lots of advice and we've implemented it in stages.

Yes - cleaner keys. I pulled all color stickers off the keyboard. It only helps when using LM. What I've figured out from using a magnet staff and SM note heads is that all the kids - including Cayla can properly place the notes on the staff. They are all reading music at a basic level. So, the colors were not helpful.

Yes, I already wrote it in the book 'You CAN be a musician'. Colors apply to our vision and sounds and speech - to our hearing. Therefore, the speech memory (sounds of music) and pitch are best promoters of music ear.

Next - with the advice from Beth at melody.me.uk/ and suggestions from The Moon we had Cayla start playing do-do using her thumb, then her index finger and then her pointer. We've been doing this for a couple weeks now. She can play do-do with her left pinky finger and her right thumb at the same time!!!!!! Yeah for her!

Yes, each finger awareness is very important! In every language we have special songs for it. In USA it is 'Eency-beency spider'. In Russia - 'Soroka-Soroka'. I think our lady C. can receive a 'music dollar' now for each correct finger in HCB. It would motivate her to use different fingers more often. Can't wait to meet her in person!

On Friday we introduced the do finger, re finger etc. With my help we played HCB. She was very frustrated but understood what we were trying to do. The little pumpkin kept at it and she can play do-mi and mi-do. It is slow and she picks up her entire hand and has to think about what to do next before she plays the key, but that is to be expected.

Fingers awareness in making!

She is making excellent progress.

If anyone is interested in helping children with Learning Diaibilities play music I would recommend the resource melody.me.uk/ Beth was very helpful and responded to my query quickly. I don't see any reason why these children should be left out. I also appreciated that she has high hopes and expectations of these special children like I do.

For kids with special needs music making is essential tool for brain/mind development.

Hellene, I am so grateful that you have invested yourself in this program. I know that last few months and probably years have not been easy going. I think about Cayla a little over a year ago before I found you. She had a love and passion for music but her only avenue for enjoyment was listening. It was slow going at first but a year later she can read music and play and play and play. She is just 4. I don't think we will ever know what kind of lasting effects this program has had on her. Anyway, thanks!

Sonya, the success of my students is making us strong and encourage us to keep going. This is only way of the best inventions to survive and to be promoted.