Finding my rhythm

by Sam Mitchell, a guest contributor

Sam’s academic journey has been traumatic but he’s found his groove in music study

I was identified as dyslexic in P4. Mum had noticed that I was memorising stories rather than reading them and didn’t recognise common words such ‘and’ and ‘was’ on different lines in the book. Luckily the council was trialling new tests at the time and we got the results back quickly that I had dyslexic tendencies. Some teachers understood better than others. If I had a teacher who got me I had a good year but unfortunately

I had a couple of really bad years that affected me into secondary school.

When I started secondary school some things were put in place to help such as coloured paper and extra time for class work but just as we went into lockdown I started to get really tired and unwell. Tests were inconclusive and the consultant diagnosed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and suggested I work with a psychologist to get to the bottom of it and to give me some coping strategies.

Loving lockdown

In fact, lockdown was great because the virtual learning meant I could use digital tools, learn at my own pace and even sleep during the day and study in the evening. The sessions with the psychologist revealed that part of the CFS was down to my experience at primary school and that I had PTSD from that.

When I went back to school the ASN manager took everything that the consultant mentioned as reasonable adjustments, along with what I and my parents suggested for my dyslexia. This included giving me a space to relax if I had a free a period, removing homework and dropping some subjects from my timetable to let me concentrate on what I needed and liked. This meant lots of time in the music department who understood me from day one. They got used to me turning up at odd times to find a practice room to take my stress out on a drum kit.

FInding my groove

Drumming and music, particularly jazz are my passion and I decided I wanted to study it after leaving school but the thought of passing English at Nat 5 and Higher was daunting. However, by removing other subjects I could concentrate on English and drama and got a B for my Nat 5. The Depute Head even used me as a case study when the school was inspected to show what a student can achieve with the right adjustments in place. I was going to do my Higher English over two years but at the end of S5 decided to apply to do an HND in Music at New College Lanarkshire as an entry to doing a degree once I’ve finished.

I am thoroughly enjoying the course and essays don’t even stress me out because I am writing about a subject I love and can use all the digital tools I need to help.

Fundraising gig for Dyslexia Scotland

Part of this year’s course is to plan and run a live music event for charity and I have decided to raise funds for Dyslexia Scotland as they helped my parents to understand what I was going through and what my rights were both in school and college – my Disabled Student Allowance is being processed just now.

My Soul, Funk and Surf Night will feature three bands, Mooki, The Filthy Funk Collective, featuring Suzy Gaddis and Edinburgh surf band CRABS. It’s on 24 April 2025 in Glasgow. Book tickets on Eventbrite.