First of all, by now, we all have a basic understanding of the brain and how it works. We have a stimulus enter the brain, let's say a written word. The brain takes that information, interprets it and acts on what it has learned. When every system is working correctly, this is done with relative ease. When we start to label someone as learning disabled, we find that this system has developed a permanent glitch. Information goes in but somewhere on the way, it gets lost. For a dyslexic, the visual cues are not processed correctly. For someone with auditory processing disorder, it is the spoken cues that are lost or processed slowly enough that comprehension is difficult.
So, why music? Let's keep checking out the way the brain works. When a person looks at a piece of music, each dot on a line has to be 'read'. That dot becomes a letter. The brain has to take that letter and translate it to specific way to play an instrument. All this happens at such a rapid rate that the person can play a piece of music. The addition of the need to change the dot on the line to a letter that requires a certain body movement increases the processing speed of the brain. For those with learning disabilities, increasing the processing speed is critical to overall success.
Let's keep on the brain study. When a person reads a book, studies have shown that a specific area of the brain fires up and responds to the stimulus. When a person reads a piece of music, the area of the brain that fires up is different. This is good for two reasons. One, for those who struggle to learn to read, presenting the information as 'music' will fire up a different area of the brain and encourage more success. Secondly, for those who need a multi-sensory approach learning information through music provides that connection since it is processed in a different area of the brain. (think about the ABC song and how easily even very small kids learn non-sensical letters of the alphabet)
On a totally different note...(pun intended) several studies have looked at music and the affects on the the brains of those who are stressed or have ADD/ADHD. For one study, scientists logged the brain patterns before listening to classical music and then during. Those brain patterns were compared to the patterns of those without ADD/ADHD. What they found is that listening to classical music normalizes brain patterns. So, when I start a training session in which I strengthen skills for those with learning disabilities, I start with a hands on activity and classical music. I can watch the affect of the music on a stressed out person. It is wonderful to see.
So, when I see facebook questions about music... I always answer with a resounding YES!!! In one way or another, music is good for ALL learners, but especially those with a learning disorder.
