Inclusive Music Teaching Strategies for Elementary-Age Children with Developmental Dyslexia

Abstract

Developmental dyslexia (DD) is more prevalent as an “umbrella” disorder than many educators realize. The music educator can play a particularly useful role in helping children in the general or choral classroom cope with DD, given the temporal nature of cognitive issues inherent in the disorder. The purposes of this article are to provide a brief overview of DD and to offer teaching strategies for music educators to assist students with DD in the music classroom. Melodic and rhythmic activities are described and suggested as ways to engage children with DD as part of inclusive general music classrooms.