| |
Abstract:
It has been reported in the literature that certain musicians
with dyslexia experience serious difficulties with musical tasks,
especially with music notation and rhythm processing. Yet this
conclusion stems exclusively from anecdotal evidence and to date no
study has attempted to formally validate these self-reports. In the
present study we report the cases of two musicians, E.A. and E.C.,
who have been assessed as dyslexic. Our goal was to document the
presence or absence of difficulties in their musical abilities and
to relate these patterns to cognitive models of dyslexia. E.A. and
E.C. participated in a wide range of musical tasks, including, but
not restricted to, melody perception, rhythm perception and
production, music reading, music memory, and language tasks such as
phonological awareness and spelling. Their data were compared with
those of normal controls matched for musical experience. E.A. and
E.C. had similar difficulties with language reading. E.A., however,
was proficient in both music reading and perception, whereas E.C.
displayed serious difficulties with music reading and rhythm
production. The theoretical and practical implications of these
differences between E.A. and E.C. for music and text reading will
be discussed.
|
