Thinking in Music
The countdown has begun: My son Charlie is in his last two months of being ten years old. A tall boy with big feet and able to reach an octave on the piano merely by opening his hand wide, and not really able to read.
When he was three, we started to teach Charlie the alphabet. He had quickly learned the numbers from 1-10 and we thought that he would pick up the letters with equal ease and speed—but after a few letters, confusion set in. Too many of the letters had an “e” sound (b, c, d, e, g, p, v) or looked alike (b, d, p, q; i, l, t). We kept at it; we had alphabet cards, blocks, puzzles of various textures, the computer. We tried to teach Charlie to memorize some sight words in the thought that he might be better able to identify the letters when he saw a few together and could learn to distinguish them. We did Edmark, Language for Learning, Headsprout, a Lovaas reading program, Laureate computer games, and all manner of reading curriula, some on the computer and plenty not. We tried prism lenses and special reading stands that held the book at a slant. We read to Charlie (he still gets up after a page or two).
We still keep at it—Charlie can identify some sights words, but not consistently, and not if I write them out by hand or point them out in a book.
I wrote “not really able to read” because there is one sort of “text,” one sort of language, that Charlie can read and that is music. I’ve detailed something of how Charlie learned to read music—notes on the treble and bass clefs—here. His piano teacher (who is currently taking a hiatus; he is missed!) velcroed the letter names for the notes on the keys (white ones only first) and Charlie first “read” music by matching letters on the keys to letters on the notes in his music book. His teacher slowly removed each velcro letter from the keys and also the letters names on the notes in the book.
Charlie has yet to learn the different time values of notes (halfs, quarters, etc.), rests, time signatures, repeats, and the like; he is learning the concept of a sharp. He still only plays out of the book that his teacher made just for him and he needs someone else to stand by when he practices (my mom helped him do this today). But it’s clear that Charlie’s eyes are moving across the page as his fingers strike a sequence of keys. “And what else do you call reading?” as Jim has said.
We’ve thought that perhaps Charlie has been able to learn to read music much more quickly and readily than words because reading music can offer immediate feedback in the form of the sounds and songs that Charlie play. Charlie still often has to pause and think before speaking so (I suspect) trying to read a word is a multi-step process of identifying letters, remembering what happens when they are all in a group, thinking of a word, thinking of how to say that word and what the word means and (somewhere along the way) saying the word. And maybe losing track of the original task of reading the word at that point.
There’s something about music that can’t be captured in words or perhaps even turned into something you can see as notes or symbols written on the page. If we were just teaching Charlie to read music without simultaneously teaching him to play the piano, I suspect it would be much harder—more abstracted?—for him. I was reminded of this when I found myself in an extensive dialogue with two colleagues today about a recital for a student who is a performing arts major. This is a relatively new major at my school and, while I can play piano and viola and once upon a time did my share of performing in youth orchestras and piano recitals, I simply do not know much of the criteria for putting together, let alone judging, an undergraduate vocal performance (the student in question sings and very well—Charlie has been known to sit rapt when hearing her). It would not be enough for this student to talk about the paper that she had written; her performance itself—her singing and acting—is the main “content” of her project.
As the student’s advisor explained over how her performance is essential to her showing her work, I thought of Charlie at the piano and now the cello. I thought of how he has been reaching for the bow and leaning his left cheek and chin into the wood, the better, perhaps, to feel the sounds he and the instrument make. I thought of how it is not really possible to capture that sound—rather squawky and jerkily smooth—in words, but how that sound clearly says something to Charlie.
When a few times this afternoon words had not come to him quickly to him, the student’s advisor had said “music brain, just a moment” and his words came back to me when I heard Charlie singing, or maybe saying?—a refrain from a Thelonious Monk piece tonight in the shower; when I heard him thinking, in music.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, Bike, bow, cello, Education, Music, notes, parents, pdd-nos, performance, singing, students, thesis, wood
12 opinions for Thinking in Music
Marla
Mar 18, 2008 at 7:08 am
I am in awe of Charlie. His love of music and the piano is something to be very proud of. That is great his Grandma enjoys helping him practice the piano.
I can’t believe he will be eleven so soon! They are growing up so fast. I think it is especially notable when you have one child. Charlie is your only right? Just like M.
“Charlie still often has to pause and think before speaking”
M pauses for quite a long time when speaking. On certain days the pauses are not as long. Usually though we wait for some time while she is putting her thoughts together. Often she insists on complete silence while doing so. It makes her very upset when she is interrupted by people who don’t understand her need to think before speaking.
It pains me when we are with certain family members or friends who after all this time still complete her sentences for her, try to rush her to speak or simply give up and move on. Despite years of me explaining and encouraging patience! This was a problem when I observed in school as well. Teachers rushing her to speak or giving up and moving on. Granted, I have been known to take deep breaths while waiting…needing to remind myself to be patient.
Are you doing anything special for Charlie’s birthday? Sushi perhaps?
Ashley Morgan
Mar 18, 2008 at 8:46 am
Hi Kristina. I came on over from the Newsweek link. Congratulations on the press - I am so happy that I see your name pop up now and then. I’m also happy to hear how Charlie is doing. Piano is awesome. Surrounded by the love of his family - Grandma too. Yeah! You are a very lucky mom!
Leo still practices piano now and then, but his focus is on the recorder for school (ugh, I just don’t get the recorder). He likes it though.
I haven’t been keeping up with the blogging world. Hopefully I can do so this summer!
Cheers, Ashley
Niksmom
Mar 18, 2008 at 9:12 am
Kristina, this speaks to me today in a way that I cannot adequately convey in words. I am sitting watching my own musically-inclined son listening raptly to the tunes on his electronic piano –head tilted as if he is hearing something deeper and more profound than the rest of us. I imagine it is the same for Charlie.
Eleven?? Wow, I cannot even fathom that at ths point.
Daisy
Mar 18, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I love hearing about Charlie’s musical progress. Amigo played violin, then cello. He learned to read Braille music. We attended Suzuki Institutes where he was surrounded by music. He’s not playing an instrument now, but he still loves many kinds of music.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 18, 2008 at 11:55 pm
@Daisy,
Braille music—-now you are giving me an idea…..
Niksmom, Charlie often has a head tilt and a look in his eyes as if he’s focusing on something (a sound? a color he sighted?) that no one else is focusing on. I used to play piano with him on my lap—–11 was definitely unfathomable then but we seem to be growing into it!
Hi Ashley—great to hear from you! Not sure about how Charlie would feel about the recorder—I specifically chose a string instrument not a wind one, as he’s not been one for flowing blowing (bubbles etc.) Does Leo play in a group?
@Marla, Yes, he’s my one and only—-yes 11! Sushi is definitely a possibility. We are going to check out a local bowling alley this weekend as a birthday site! Keeping in mind the “pause rule” has had the result of encouraging Charlie to communicate—less pressure on him. His special ed teachers understand; the music teacher has rushed, but it reminds me of how much we have all learned (and have yet to learn).
Ashley
Mar 19, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Hi Kristina. So yes, the Recorder is the 3rd grade chosen instrument. He’ll sit on stage with his grade in a suit of some sort that I’ll have to find. I’ll be the one in sunglasses with gobs of kleenex in my hands.
Grade 4 is a wind instrument of their choice, and grade 5 is free choice. I applaud the music teacher for being able to teach 22 kids at once. Leo says he’ll get occasional headaches “from those high notes. But it’s better now mom, because people now know the music.”
At first, I thought this may be very discouraging for him, as the pinky and ring finger continue to be weak. Wobbling away around the holidays, he’d manage to squeak out notes that made the dogs run out of the room! But he kept on, and now he can actually play a song. He can play the recorder music on the piano, which he thinks is really cool. He now gets that reading music is the same.
I really love the comments about the music brain. So true in our house with everyone in the family!
A Conference in NYC and an Article in Newsweek
Mar 19, 2008 at 7:41 pm
[…] forgot to mention the cello.) Tags: advocacy, asd, asperger, autism, columbia university, conference, Disability Rights, […]
lastcrazyhorn
Mar 19, 2008 at 10:18 pm
That’s awesome news that you all have found something that he responds well to. Have you ever looked into music therapy? http://www.musictherapy.org/faqs.html
I’m a music therapy graduate student, in addition to be an aspie. I’m also a french horn player, and I find myself often tuning to the way the vibrations feel as opposed to the sound of the note itself.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 19, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I do think that Charlie is drawn to the vibrations of the instrument; he has certainly made me more aware of them.
Just read this article about a music teacher of special needs kids in southern California.
It’s 88:88 At Our House
Mar 20, 2008 at 2:14 pm
[…] his numbers quickly when he was 2 1/2; the alphabet letters were much more difficult, and he still identifies some incorrectly. But numbers always seemed to get his attention and he would even take the letter E’s from […]
Straight Up Singing
Mar 22, 2008 at 2:21 am
[…] “The Barney Song” or “Shaky Shaky” or “Teletubbies Say Hello.” Charlie humming any of the songs that Jim has been whistling to him for the past several years, or handing me a […]
This and Last’s Weeks Top Posts
Mar 23, 2008 at 3:05 am
[…] Thinking in Music We’ve thought that perhaps Charlie has been able to learn to read music much more quickly and readily than words because reading music can offer immediate feedback in the form of the sounds and songs that Charlie play. (And go here to read about the cast and director of Autism: The Musical. […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: