I recently had an experience that made me consider the role of visual processing in music learning.

Visual Processing for Office Work

I took over an entire new caseload from a coworker with very neat handwriting. While nothing was inherently wrong with her handwriting, it was quite different from mine. Whenever I searched the filing cabinet for a record, I would meticulously scan each file, only to find the one I needed right under my nose after multiple searches.

It dawned on me that my coworker’s unfamiliar handwriting hindered my visual processing. When I scanned the files for a specific name, my brain had difficulty quickly identifying it.

Finding the correct file was a breeze after I remade the file labels in my handwriting.

Just as my brain struggled to decipher unfamiliar handwriting, students with visual processing difficulties may encounter similar roadblocks when trying to read music.

Visual Processing in Piano Playing

According to rescent research, there is a strong correlation between visual-spatial processing and the ability to read music. The study found that individuals with high visual-spatial processing abilities made fewer errors when reading musical notation. This suggests that understanding the spatial relationships between notes on a staff is essential for music reading.

“These results suggest that note-reading may be related to visual spatial processing abilities, and not to an individual’s ability with object recognition.”
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22913012/

What is Visual-Spatial Processing?

Visual processing is the brain’s ability to interpret visual information. It encompasses a variety of skills, including:

VISUAL DISCRIMINATION: seeing the difference between similar letters, shapes, or objects
VISUAL FIGURE-GROUND DISCRIMINATION: distinguish a shape or letter from its background
VISUAL SEQUENCING: see shapes, letters, or words in the correct order; may skip lines or read the same line over and over
VISUAL-MOTOR PROCESSING: coordinating what they see to with the way they move; may struggle to write within lines or bump into objects while walking
LONG- OR SHORT-TERM VISUAL MEMORY: ability to remember shapes, symbols, or objects they’ve seen, causing issues with reading and spelling
VISUAL-SPATIAL PROCESSING: understanding where objects are in space; unsure how close objects are to one another
VISUAL CLOSURE: identifying an object when only parts of it are showing
LETTER AND SYMBOL REVERSAL: Switch numbers or letters when writing, or may mistake “b” for “d”

Teaching Strategies for Improving Visual Processing

Use manipulatives: Use physical objects like colored chips or beads to represent musical notes. This can help students better understand the spatial relationships between notes on the staff.
Color-coding: Assign different colors to different notes or groups of notes. This can provide visual cues to help students differentiate between them. Boomwhackers and Prodigies are the colors I use. I am consistent with these colors to avoid any confusion.
Eye Spy music notes and music symbols and piano keys from And Next Comes L https://www.andnextcomesl.com/p/i-spy-printables.html
Sorting Flashcards based on one particular element, such as line notes or space notes.

Remember, every student learns differently. By being patient and understanding and incorporating a variety of teaching methods, you can help all your students develop their musical skills and foster a lifelong love of music.