Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional No doodling!!!

Another vote for doodling to focus. I usually stick with abstracts so they're not too diverting, but if I don't have something to use up a bit of my attention, I get so bored I tune out. I wonder if perhaps it's because I find getting information orally so slow and painful compared to taking it in myself reading, that I find it astoundingly hard to stay focused on someone talking, even if they are quite interesting? It's just sooooooooo sloooooooow.

In my old age, at important meetings where I need to catch a lot of detail, I now tend to take almost verbatim notes, which similarly keeps me on track. Otherwise, I can miss huge chunks of what was said before I even realize my attention has wandered.

Greenlotus, do I recall correctly that your DD was a seriously visual-spatial type? If so, perhaps you could help her learn to take "visual notes", thus killing two birds with one stone (and assuaging the teacher, for a bonus)? For example, there's some basic ideas at www.visualspatial.org/files/notes.pdf

Repeating geometric patterns here, for the same reason.

Well, that, and I'm crap at art.

I definitely use doodling to focus and to enhance my notes including embellishing the lettering. Makes it very easy to spot words later. And, I might add that when I took art history, my quick Doodling practice helped me in lecture to quickly sketch whatever was on the slide, draw arrows to my note, etc, and enhance with font embellishments appropriate to the time period. And now when I go to the doctor with my mother, I can easily find an old note in my journal.

Seriously!!! Every time you post about your DD I find myself nodding!!! They would either be the best of friends or drive each other batty!!!! I don't think I could count how many drawing books DD has. And guess what? She calls them "doodle notebooks" as well!

Yes - she is definitely a visual-spatial type! What a great idea about visual notes!! As soon as I get my fill of the forum, I will be checking out that website!

just to sidetrack this a wee bit... (and tell me to put it in rec resources if nec)

anyone got any clue how to help VS kids with music? DD can play very well but gets stuck when she has to do instant repetition of clapped rhythms as it takes her a minute to catch up. She does cope quite well with the vocal instant repetition.

Teacher won't consider her for extension lessons because of this, she's now getting bored and disliking class although she still spends a lot of time playing at home. (I'm struggling to find another teacher for her age so we are stuck with this one for at least another 3 months.)

I like the idea of the pictures in the link above, I'm thinking about colour coding the piano so that should help with notation but I'm wondering about rhythm, any clues?

Rhythm = fractions

And have you tried teaching her the visual patterns for chords and intervals (notation & hand position)? Once she learns them, she'll probably be a much better sight reader then the pure auditory pianists.

Mahagogo - This might be totally off base, but bear with me.... There seems to be a lot of overlap in learning approaches among the severely visual-spatial and the dyslexic (I have both in my house), so perhaps some of the suggested approaches for teaching music to dyslexic children would resonate with you? Most suggest a multi-sensory approach (like Suzuki); we were doing a "Music for Young Children" program with DD which seems to share a lot of those recommended approaches.

Some of the things the program did with rhythm, for example, included having a different sound for each kind of note that took up the correct amount of airtime ("ta" for a quarter, "ti-ti" for eighth, "half note" and "great big whole note"). New and challenging rhythms would be sung using these words, clapped and done with castanets, while also being built of manipulatives on the floor, which you could do in both colour and size differentiation. Body, hand and eyes would move together to sing the pattern while pointing to each kind of (physical) note on the floor. This type of class has a huge emphasis on learning patterns of both rhythms and notes. Patterns are learned as visual pictures (picture a drawing of notes "stepping up vs jumping") and as physical movements. Known patterns are then always highlighted in colour code on the music sheet. Well, I'm sure you get the idea!

This kind of approach helped my DD a lot. But to be honest, her older, crazily-VS brother, would have gone nuts if forced to use the manipulatives and the "full body approach", even though he could have benefitted greatly from the focus on learning, finding and marking the patterns. So YMMV! But just a thought.

Thanks Aeh & MichelleC.

She does the intl school of music program. Honestly I'm starting to just think she needs one on one rather than group as if I sit down with her and get eye contact and just give her a moment after I clap she is fine but anyway.

It's given me a bit to think about. I hear what you are saying re dyslexia. She def isn't (as far as I know) but the pauses she takes at times to process what she has heard make me think of dyslexic kids who are trying to process what they are reading as they go.

I know she understands the value of each note, it's just rapidly converting the tahn, ti ti etc into action. I guess if we focus more on the picture of the notes and getting her more involved bodily it'll become second nature and she won't have to think. Maybe making "friends" with the notes.

Last night I popped removable coloured stickers on the keys and shaded some photocopies of her music. She can def play notes by ear (I think she has perfect pitch) but she can't do ANY of the notation activities in class, ie when they are given a staff and have to put magnets on doh etc. So I'm hoping the colours will help her in that regard more so than in playing.

She wants to start violin as well soon (we'll wait until she's had piano a full year) so in 3 months she'll be doing both instruments. I think we will def be doing Suzuki. Her goal is to play trumpet eventually so she started recorder at home yesterday too. Fingers are way too small though.

I love the idea of coloured stickers on keys. I might steal that idea for DS!