Music, Dyslexia and Technology-pt. 2

Nick Sermon spoke at the British Dyslexia Music Conference. He ‘lets us in’ on what he spoke about; how to utilize technology to help dyslexic students studying music. Part 2.

Following the conference I was delighted at the positive response that I received when conveying my ideas and the new found followers on Twitter that I received since.
One of the most engaging sessions at the conference concerned the software package Musescore.

Over the years I had relied on Sibelius for all my scoring options but the idea of using a free package was highly engaging especially when you consider it’s accessibility options that would support a Dyslexic learner.

I was fascinated by the fact that you could give notes specific colors using a plugin.

Quiet possibly this can be done by other editors and would welcome the feedback but anything that’s free is always great.

Taking time at the moment to investigate this package further and how it responds on my Mac.

https://musescore.org/en/handbook/plugins#color-notes

Recently I was contacted through my work with the BDA for guidance on learning music theory from scratch by a University Music Production student who is Dyslexic. Well that was a question that I needed time to think about but I was drawn back to a resource that I have used many times.

Today there are so many resources so you can find something for everyone. Certainly the ABRSM apps are wonderful and make teaching music easier. However they are just one of hundreds that are available.  

I advised this student to use https://www.musictheory.net/ and as such I have heard nothing since so all I can presume is that it worked well.

Finally I was contacted by one of the delegates from the conference and he talked about how much he enjoyed my presentation and how his school liked the idea. It certainly made me feel very happy that the ideas I have are being adopted.

However the question about storage of the videos was raised and the most appropriate method for this. G.D.P.R. has made all consider how we consider data and images are extremely important and you should always seek permission if working in an education establishment.

Many organization have now progressed to either Office 365 or Google Apps as if you are in education they are free and offer fabulous options for storage.

I am not afraid to say that I am a big fan of Google and through their Drive all videos and photos are automatically backed up when you use an Android or Apple device.

Both organizations offer incredible levels of security thus ensuring your data is safe. As I progress further with this research I will keep you updated with the feedback I receive.

The author

Nick Sermon

Nick Sermon is a Primary School Teacher with subject leadership in the Arts and Maths. He has worked in music education for 20 years with the majority of the time being within Further Education, but he has also supported his local Music Hub and has been a Director of Music for The RAF Air Cadets establishing two national ensembles. Being Dyslexic himself he has developed a passion for technology as he has used this to support his career in education. He wants pupils to have these opportunities so to have the opportunity to express themselves and succeed. All aspects of mobile technology are considered if ultimately they raise the attainment of the pupil.

https://www.music-education.co.uk/