Rapping Dyslexia: Learning Rhythm, Rhyme and Flow in Dyslexic Children

The paper presents a design case that draws inspiration from rap music as a way to tell stories rhythmically, with simple instruments for accompaniment. Rhythm, rhymes and flow are key features of rap music. In this study, we attempted to apply rap principles and dynamics to a very specific field of application: the treatment of dyslexia. Our hypothesis is that fast, fun, bodily music could compensate the cognitive treatment usually used in dyslexia therapy, and avoid the need for children to engage in abstract cognitive exercises that are often frustrating and result in a lack of motivation. The paper describes the incremental prototyping process carried out to design the activity and the musical instruments used to experiment with rap music in therapeutic sessions. In particular, we designed a DJ console and a beat amplifier made of reused cardboard, wearable sensors and open-source software. Rapid prototyping and rapid re-adaptation of the system’s material and technological components allowed us not only to fine-tune the tools but also to generate new knowledge about the behaviour of people with dyslexia and raise new questions for study.