11:00 a.m. Professional Development Program

Kristine Konrad and Dr. Heidi Hamernik

“Discovering the Process of Reading Music: How to Teach Piano Students of All Reading Abilities”

The International DYSLEXIA Association estimates that dyslexia or reading disability occurs in 15 – 20 percent of the general population and does not discriminate based on intellect or social-economic status.   Reading ability or disability occurs along a continuum and therefore it is highly likely that most piano teachers regularly encounter these students, some with official diagnoses and some unaware of why they struggle to read.  A primary study of piano students led to the discovery that the use of intervention teaching techniques based on a multi-sensory approach significantly helped not only the student with dyslexia, but also the typical reader.  This presentation will help piano teachers and music instructors gain a better understanding of the basic neuropsychological underpinnings of reading disorders and how, from a neuropsychological standpoint, students of all reading abilities may typically approach the task of learning to read music for the piano.  The second part of the presentation will address hands-on, multisensory techniques and interventions to assist piano teachers and music instructors when teaching students with and without dyslexia.

BIOGRAPHIES

Heidi Hamernik, Ph.D is a licensed Clinical-Community Psychologist. She has been in private practice for the past 25 years in the Northern and Western suburbs and specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents.  Her practice focuses on the neuropsychological assessment and treatment of Learning Disabilities, Aspergers' Syndrome, Social Learning Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Behavioral Disorders such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Dr. Hamernik received her Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of South Carolina and completed her Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, IL.  She is a standing member in several nationally accredited associations such as the American Psychological Association, International Neuropsychological Society, and the International Dyslexia Society.  

Kristine Konrad has maintained a private piano studio in River Forest for 26 years, teaching with a methodology that focuses on reading music.  In December of 2010 Kristine graduated with her Masters of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Concordia University Chicago where she spent over two years researching the dyslexic student and reading music.  Her Master’s thesis, Teaching Piano to Students with Dyslexia, argues that when intervention based on a multi-sensory approach is used, students with dyslexia can learn to play the piano by reading music.  Kristine also holds a Masters degree from the University of Chicago and a Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has most recently studied with Craig Sale, Kuang Hao Huang and Fionna Bezaire.  Kristine is a member of CAMTA, ISMTA and MTNA.

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