| In the last issue, we talked about the advantages | | | | have the spatial sense of the page border. |
| of vocal training. Now, let's see how the child can | | | | Sometimes such children will omit letters and even |
| benefit from playing a musical instrument. We shall | | | | syllables, or they will write two words together in |
| begin with writing skills. | | | | a sentence. One more sign of the disruption of |
| As in all things, if you practice long enough, you | | | | space perception can be the child's habit of writing |
| can learn to write well. Most adults write with | | | | the sentence in lowercase. |
| ease, and children learn this skill at school and at | | | | Now I'm sure you're thinking: "What does music |
| home. In order to correctly express our thoughts | | | | have to do with this?" When a child is learning the |
| on paper, we all had to learn the rules of basic | | | | basics of playing a musical instrument, he does |
| grammar. Some of us have succeeded more than | | | | not have these difficulties: he definitely knows |
| others: some still misspell words and make stylistic | | | | where his right and left hands are. His knowledge |
| mistakes. | | | | is supported with the use of visual methods: he |
| If the ability to write without mistakes depended | | | | has musical notation, where the left and right hand |
| only on knowing the rules, then almost everyone | | | | parts are clearly marked, right in front of him. |
| would be able to write correctly. But even at a | | | | And, for example, in the notation for piano, the |
| normal intellectual development rate, children often | | | | top line specifies the right-hand part, and the |
| have difficulties in mastering writing skills and | | | | bottom line specifies the left-hand part. This |
| expressing their ideas. And this happens for | | | | means that the "musical" child easily copes with |
| reasons not connected with defects of sight, | | | | such concepts as "above" and "below." Children |
| hearing or any neurological impediments. The | | | | who study music acquire the knowledge of |
| mastering of literacy can be impeded by the | | | | intervals and sound sequence in chords that will |
| disruption of space perception. | | | | add to his spatial concepts and, hence, improve |
| Statistically, 60 percent of elementary school | | | | his writing skills. |
| students have very vague ideas about such | | | | We can offer another test to make sure that |
| concepts as right, left, below, above, etc. It is | | | | your child develops well in this area. I recommend |
| easy to determine how well your child can | | | | it to parents who have a good sense of rhythm, |
| orientate himself in space. | | | | rate and good rhythmic memory. |
| Face the child and ask him to move his left and | | | | Clap or tap a simple rhythmic pattern, and ask |
| right hand (or leg) up and down. Ask questions | | | | your son or daughter to count the number of |
| inconsistently and without any help or hints by | | | | claps or taps you made. If the child makes |
| your glances or body movement. The child should | | | | correct calculations but fails to repeat the given |
| react to and answer only your verbal commands. | | | | rhythmic pattern, he will write the wrong letter |
| What are the results of this simple test? Did the | | | | instead of the heard sound. He will also have |
| child follow your directions? If he gave the correct | | | | difficulties with hyphenation rules and will miss the |
| answers to all of them, great! This means his | | | | letters. A word is made of letters (sounds) and |
| sense of space perception is good. If the child did | | | | syllables, and syllables divide the word into |
| not complete the task or had to think about it, it | | | | rhythmic units. |
| means that he mirrors his letters and numbers, or | | | | The solution to this difficulty, if encountered in |
| rearranges letters and syllables in a word, or | | | | your child, is simple: encourage him to learn to |
| words, in the sentence. In addition, he might not | | | | play a musical instrument! |