Amanda thought that her child would never learn how to read.  Pat was already nine years old and barely sounding out three-letter words. Amanda was ready to give up. Her daughter was called ADHD, ADD, DHDD- whatever the latest acronyms were. While nobody could decide on an exact diagnosis, Pat floundered through school, miserably. Then came help from a completely unexpected source: Music.

Music is the language of the soul, the song of the heart, the melody that crosses all barriers. Music is our natural language, one that is equally understood by every human being on the planet. Yet, it is interesting how little we exploit music. Unfathomably, we teach precious little through song.

Linda Stones knows. She has spent years studying, perfecting, and teaching the art of music to enhance and integrate the learning and development if special-needs students. Though she has taught mainstream children too, it is the special needs child that has brought the most surprising results.

                “She can actually sit!” Amanda told me. Suddenly, she saw her daughter focusing, relaxing, and actually learning. She was participating in complicated rhythm exercises, enriching her vocabulary, and most importantly, learning happily.

                For music teachers and therapists, this is not news. Back in the 1980s, The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, located in Windsor, California, conducted experiments in conjunction with the University of Texas, studying groups of subjects being taught with or without music. They found that music affected learning and memory in a powerful way.  Read more...