Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenologically aligned heuristic research study was to examine the lived experiences of ten successful adult musicians with a mathematics learning disability called dyscalculia. The research questions were (1) How did the participants’ dyscalculia affect their learning experiences in school, daily life, and career? (2) How did the participants’ dyscalculia affect their music learning experiences in school and their professional lives? and (3) Do musicians with dyscalculia develop or use specific compensatory strategies to overcome learning challenges, or utilize their musical strengths in unique ways?
This study’s findings indicated that the participants’ learning disabilities impacted their daily, professional, and musical lives in various ways. Common daily life and career challenges included performing mental arithmetic, driving, distinguishing left from right, time management, and managing one’s finances. Musical challenges and coping strategies developed pertained to reading and memorizing music, counting during resting periods, subdivision, music theory, and motor skills.
The emergent themes discovered in this study included: Impact of Teachers, Self-Esteem, Physical and Mental Health, Math Anxiety, Math Avoidance, Perseverance, and Empathy. Furthermore, several trends also emerged that were common to the participants’ educational, professional, and musical experiences. These trends included comorbidity and heredity, coping strategies, the importance of obtaining a college education, perseverance, mental health, and parental involvement. Recommendations for further research and implications for music teachers are discussed.