Dyslexia Awareness Week has a mission to create a dyslexia friendly society, raising awareness of dyslexia and challenging common misconceptions. This year, working to the theme of ‘Your Story’, our specialist SEND team focused on music and dyslexia – our SENCO Lead, Mrs Fitzpatrick explains more about activities at the school.

Although the word ‘dyslexia’ stems from two Latin words: Dys (meaning ‘difficulty’) and Lexia (meaning ‘words’) i.e. difficulty with words, dyslexia can often be found to equip a person with some of the key skills and creativity that make brilliant musicians. Indeed, some of the most influential musicians are dyslexic, including John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Nigel Kennedy, Paloma Faith, Molly King and Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence and the Machine. The specific term for dyslexia and music is ‘dysmusia’, a term which was first introduced by neurologist Neil Gordon in 2000. 

Our Dyslexia Awareness Week assembly this year featured several talented Blackheath High dyslexic musicians, including Tiana and Alina from Year 13. Alina has participated in many music clubs such as orchestra and senior choir and as a flautist, she learnt to read music from an early age. This image shows how some dyslexic students may perceive sheet music ‘so that you can get an idea of how it feels in our heads’. In Alina’s words: “Music is a different pathway through which I can express myself.” 

Tiana, a Sixth Form Music Scholar, describes her journey with dyslexia. “I find it easier to express myself by creating shapes and colour with music rather than by speaking or writing. Music is my own world, and I enjoy sharing it with people through performing! Since I am a very visual person, I love creating my own stories within the pieces I play. I specifically love playing the harp because I feel physically connected to it, as I am quite simply hugging the harp. Additionally, the harp often creates an ethereal sound and can evoke such a wide range of emptions. Playing the melody and accompaniment is one of my favourite features because I can adapt and shift between the roles of soloist and accompanist. 

“Although I have committed to pursuing a career as a professional harpist, my musical journey hasn’t always been easy. Sightreading is still challenging for me because it takes a long time to process what I read, hence I often make mistakes. My teacher often told me to read the notes again because I easily misread them. Sometimes, reading and processing too much information can be a bit overwhelming. I need to read the notes and the context (dynamics, articulation, etc), as well as read the music ahead in preparation.” 

Hearing from another of our students, Orla, she describes below her first musical foray in Year 7 with the saxophone.

During the assembly, we also focused on Alison Wormell, a British-Australian bassoonist who graduated from the Royal College of Music with an Artists Diploma of Performance. They are dyslexic and paint a vivid picture of their experiences in their musical journey. 

“When I look at a page of music, it gently swims. The staves are not really there. If I really look, I can identify the notes and rhythms but anything fast always needs to be memorised. Key signatures don't really exist, I naturally don't see them and have spent a lot of time kicking myself for "forgetting" to check them. Looking at the conductor in orchestra is somewhat dangerous if the music has any repetition (even just rhythmic) because I will look back at the page and have honestly no idea where we might be. 

“But after using a blue filter over the music, suddenly, it became much easier to read the music and required less effort. This is the equivalent of a coloured reading ruler. I rang my mum and cried on the phone to her. It just explained so much. Why I struggled to teach kids to read music, making mistakes as I taught them. Why I found sight reading baffling even though I knew I should be capable of it. Why I would write note names above notes and at the end of lines as I struggled to read them whilst playing. Why I could make reading mistakes on pieces I had played for the last five years, although once I play a piece for longer it's functionally memorised anyhow.  

"[Now I advise teacher that if they are] having trouble with a student reading or making incomprehensible mistakes, maybe try putting a blue or green filter over their music. It might not work or that they’ll have so much more concentration to give to the actual storytelling of music making.” 

I passionately believe that whatever the struggle may be, there are always ways to get around it. By understanding the needs of dyslexic people and putting appropriate resources and strategies in place, our talented musicians – and authors, playwrights, artists, doctors, lawyers – can achieve their ambitions and goals. 

Read more about Music & Dyslexia in 'Opening New Doors':