Dyslexia and Sight-reading: Perceptions of Upper Woodwind Instrumental Students with Dyslexia and their Approach to Sight-reading Study

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological research study examines the sight-reading abilities and perceptions of eight to ten high school, dyslexic, upper woodwind students from locations in the United States. The study involves students sight-reading an etude that participants had not seen previously. Though studies featuring note reading and dyslexic students are well documented, the literature has not fully addressed this phenomenon among high-school-aged students and upper woodwind students, who regularly encounter the most technically challenging rhythmic figures. The study includes eight to ten dyslexic upper woodwind high school students sightreading the etude and observing their execution. Each student completed a survey and participate in an interview, verbalizing their experience with the effects of dyslexia on their reading ability. The goal of this study is to assist students in ascertaining more effortless tactics when given sightreading exercises. The findings identify student perspectives of dyslexia’s effect on their musicianship and provide insight into a potential pedagogy beneficial for dyslexic students. Though findings are individual, each perception shows an opportunity for understanding dyslexic student learning behaviors.