Interview with Chelsie Dixon

When were you diagnosed with Dyslexia?

My Mom figured it out in 1^st or 2^nd grade. I have an older sister who is more sever and she wasn’t diagnosed until later. I’ve never been officially tested because my Mom didn’t want me labeled and put in the class with all the other special ed kids.

I remember a few years ago you had a lot of trouble taking your dictation tests, how did your Dyslexia affect that?

Something happens when your write, things are upside down, you read things backwards. It doesn’t come out right.

Do you ever hear the music wrong?

Not very often. It’s mostly writing it down wrong. I do hear it wrong sometimes so I have nothing to compare what I wrote to and I don’t know if I did it right.

How has Dyslexia affected your music in other areas?

It’s harder to learn music. My favorite lesson was when I wasn’t getting a rhythm right. My teacher said, “What’s wrong with you today, are you dyslexic or something?”

So I answered, “Yes, I am actually.”

“Oh, that makes sense, you’re playing it backwards.”

What do you have to do to make sure you play it right?

I have to go over it more slowly. The more stressed I am the more it happens. My teachers have made the tests available 2-3 days for me. If I’m having difficulty I have to stop and come back a few hours or even days later. I can’t just take a break and walk around the Snow building once, it has to be a few hours at least.

How would you want a teacher to teach a student with Dyslexia differently?

One on one, I know that music teachers can’t give all their time to their students. It would help to meet after school, during lunch, or during recess. Don’t keep them in the masses. They have to break things down and go more slow.