Abstract

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are increasingly attending music education courses at Conservatories, but few data are available regarding the difficulties they encounter in the various disciplines. In particular, little is known about the qualitative aspects of their impact, and which are the most appropriate teaching strategies. This study involved 27 SLD students from Italian Conservatories, compared with 32 students without SLD diagnosis (6 out of them were later considered separately for suspected undiagnosed SLD). A modified version of Vinegrad’s ADCL (ADMCL) and a specific screening questionnaire for musical difficulties (DMQ) appeared to be able to identify SLD subjects. All students also underwent a semi-structured interview regarding their personal experiences and strategies. Students with SLD differ from those of the non-SLD group: they often plan to become teachers rather than performers, they have difficulties above all in theoretical subjects, they have problems in reading the score and in solfeggio, they lose their mark, they must review the pieces several times, they have difficulty with chords, alterations, key transpositions, as well as in many other aspects of musical education. They try to overcome the difficulties by increasing the study time, using above all the memorization of the pieces and changes on the score (colors, symbols). Many students adopt a study technique based on the subsequent addition of elements of the score (layered method). The interviews also revealed their experiences and their suggestions to improve musical education in the Conservatory for SLD students.