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Earl Vennum Posts: 3
2/6/2017
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When asked this question, many students come to mind. I had one student who would create verbal outbursts whenever there was too much audible stimulation in the room. This made it very difficult for students to hear music or instructions. She would be calmed down by holding stuffed animals or toys and was then able to learn and participate in songs. I have a student now with severe speech impairment who is difficult to understand. However, his learning does not seem to be affected as he seems to be learning at the same rate as his peers. I have a student now who our ESE staff is having tested for ASD and who seems to enjoy music, but is rarely able to complete tasks because of his insistence on jumping, crawling, and acting like spiderman. The readings so far, especially the History of Developmental Disabilities on http://mn.gov/mnddc//parallels/index.html gave me great insight and perspective on the education of all students and the importance of equal access to education.
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Angela Hartvigsen Posts: 4
2/8/2017
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As I reflect on these posts, I am reminded how important it is for teachers to get to know their students. while thoroughly understanding the characteristics of a student's disability and the laws governing his/her access to education and a music education, it is most imperative to know the student. Simply reading about the teachers that have shared in this forum about their students with autism, it is clear that these teachers found the most effective ways to allow the student to be successful in music class by getting to know that specific student. Although this is key to success for all teachers with all of their students, it is even more vital when working with students with disabilities. For Tracy, it was understanding that her student, while high-functioning, worked best on his own, while for Ivy it was finding ways for her student to hold the instruments differently. Both teachers cited autism but their modifications were each truly unique, like their students. Kudos to these teachers for focusing on ways to address the individual needs of their students and for making their music experiences impactful.
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Jerry Farrington Posts: 2
2/11/2017
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The student I will discuss is Language Impaired, Specific Learning Disabled, and receives services for occupational therapy. For the first part of the year the student was very quiet around classmates and did not respond to me verbally at all. This student is very timid but always listens and participates as well as possible. The classroom teacher has been very helpful to me. She had the student last year and has her this year as well..
We have always had peer-partners near her seat and she is seated in the front. Several times a day students work independently, with partners and, in small groups. This is most often a short amount of time working on short phrases or partial phrases. It's usually during that time I can easily give individual help to her as well as other students with no one noticing or listening in. Just in recent weeks the student has been asking me questions about what we're working on at the moment. This has been a big step forward. For what seemed like the longest time she really couldn't identify notes by reading or by note names. Now she is showing real progress in note names especially, and locating them on her instrument. We still have a long way to go in reading notation, yet I have seem progress in that as well. She knows how to refer to the chart at the front of the room that shows notes and fingerings. She now looks at that often. During those times I almost always let her do that on her own. I'm convinced that she knows she's having some success on her own. This student is one of several that come to the music room every morning for added time on their instruments. (By their own choice) She has never given up and she's the reason for the progress. When I tell her how much progress she's making I know she believes me because she sees it herself.
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Llewellyn Humphrey Posts: 3
2/11/2017
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I currently teach a student that is identified as ASD. The student is limited verbally but loves trying to sing and playing rhythms. I allow her to sing by herself or with me. She is starting to match pitch and her general classroom peers always applaud her efforts. The students usually participates in a limited way with all activities. The student participates in group activities as well as individual lessons.
I have found that including this student helps my other general students participate and interact at a different level that when my ASD students is not involved.
edited by Llewellyn Humphrey on 2/11/2017
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Norman Mason Posts: 3
2/11/2017
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I currently teach a student with Down syndrome. When we work on the barred instruments (xylophones)on keeping steady beat or playing rhythms, the student had difficulty holding the mallets and striking the specified bars. I found that it was easier for the student to hold objects that were bigger so instead of mallets, I give this student small boomwhackers that are pitched to whatever activity we are doing on the xylophones. I created a large visual of a one octave xylophone on a piece of vinyl and I allow the student to use boomwhackers on the visual.
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Jerry Farrington Posts: 2
2/12/2017
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Tiered Lessons- Some ways to use tiered lessons in the music classroom would be to simplify the music by writing an accompaniment part that closer fits the skill level yet still challenges the student. Perhaps include peer partners to learn the part as well to give support. When that is accomplished, or the student is ready to be more independent, one of the peer partners could play a part that harmonizes. This could be done in three tiers, two adapted parts and one as written in the original lesson.
Letter Strategy- When learning to read notated phrases students could be guided to use letter strategy. Students could work in small groups and create acrostics to help make note names less abstract to them. Students could make illustrations to help remember.
Grouping practice- Grouping practice is helpful in the music classroom. Peer partners can be used with the goal of guiding and supporting the student that needs it. During this time the groups can work on various goals depending on skill levels. They can then rotate groups. A goal can be to present some of their work to the class when ready.
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Ruth Pasalagua Posts: 2
2/22/2017
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Some time back I had a student in ESE. They do come in with a para and they are able to participate with certain instruments. I also have one student pair up with them when doing any movement.
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Katherine Berry Posts: 2
2/24/2017
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I currently teach two self-contained ESE classes, one for students who are K-2nd grade and one for students 3rd-5th grade. My older Access Points class, the name of our self-contained ESS classes, is paired with one of my general education 2nd grade classes. Though it does make the class size quite large, it also allows me to pair those students who are struggling to understand music concepts with another classmate who can assist them in the class. I especially use student buddies when having the students complete music compositions. Each student is given a measure to complete, and if one of my ESE students is having trouble writing the notation I will have their buddy work on verbally saying or physically clapping their chosen rhythm first and then asking their buddy to dictate the rhythm for them. Additionally, when we work with mallet instruments or rhythm sticks, one of my students who has severe Autism has difficulty holding the smaller dowels, but by cutting a hole in a tennis ball or stress ball and sliding it onto the mallet he is able to hold it much easier and with a more proper grip.
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Katherine Berry
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Michael Troina Posts: 3
2/27/2017
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This year, I have a student who is severely allergic to carpet. This made it extremely hard to teach since I have a huge music carpet in the center of my room. The student can be in my room for a short time around the carpet, but in his homeroom, all carpets were removed, the class was cleaned completely, and the teacher has an air purifier in the room as well. I don't have this privilege in my room. I had to sit the student away and made sure that the student had a partner to sit with him to help him out. I've had to rearrange my room a little so I can be closer to the student in order to give him help if needed.
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Karen Watson Posts: 3
3/9/2017
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I currently have two students who are brothers and are hearing impaired. One in Fifth grade and one in second both do not have hearing aides at this time. I use an amplifier and mic for them for instruction. Also have them sit near the sound system for singing (they do very well with this) and put closed captioning on for instruction videos used in the classroom. Our county also has a hearing impaired teacher who regularly consults with me with ideas to use/try.
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Kristal Petruzzi Posts: 4
3/9/2017
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I have been blessed to work with many children in a visual arts classroom. Thankfully, each child can express themselves utilizing the mediums and techniques in their own way. I have utilized a microphone worn to help hearing impaired students. I have taught students with behavior disorders, and we have worked to find the right spot for them in class, alternate ways to communicate frustrations, and the like. All of the children come with their special challenge, and of course this has affected the classroom environment, but I believe in a positive manner. By working with each child with understanding, it has rubbed off on all the children in the classroom. It has made them realize we are all different, but we work with what we have and use art as our way to communicate.
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Deborah Fahmie Posts: 3
3/13/2017
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In the past, I've had a student with an emotional/behavioral disorder. Foremost, I needed to make this child feel as though he was important to the class. The only time that he was able to mainstream throughout the day was for the block classes (music, art, PE, computer) and quite often met his time in these classes with humiliation. So, building his self-esteem was crucial to me. He loved music and could be very successful if he didn't let his behavioral issues interfere. I knew that I always had to move quickly with him on activities and never allow for any downtime as that is when he would find time to "get in trouble". Sometimes, it would be as simple as asking him to go and straighten out the mallets at the barred instruments while the rest of the class took some extra time with something. He took great pride in being a helper in my classroom. It was important for me to give him a variety of activities that could be accomplished in a short period of time with success.
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Emily Ewing Posts: 5
3/16/2017
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I currently teach Chorus once a week to 4th & 5th grade students. One of my students has ASD, and while she is high functioning has a difficult time understanding directions, interacting with peers, and is easily frustrated (especially when I change the routine of my class). To help her, she stands in the front row so she is close to me and I can quickly explain instructions and help her when our class routine changes. I also hand picked the students she sits with during snack time (fun chatting girls who will ask her questions and listen to her response) and when in line singing (students who do well following instructions, and will be understanding when she is frustrated). Another thing that's proven most helpful has been talking with her classroom teacher from time to time, and chanting with her Dad after performances.
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Emily Ewing Posts: 5
3/16/2017
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I LOVE your idea of cutting a hole in a tennis ball and sliding it onto the mallet so your student could hold it easier. Awesome idea  BRAVO!!!!
Katherine Berry wrote:
I currently teach two self-contained ESE classes, one for students who are K-2nd grade and one for students 3rd-5th grade. My older Access Points class, the name of our self-contained ESS classes, is paired with one of my general education 2nd grade classes. Though it does make the class size quite large, it also allows me to pair those students who are struggling to understand music concepts with another classmate who can assist them in the class. I especially use student buddies when having the students complete music compositions. Each student is given a measure to complete, and if one of my ESE students is having trouble writing the notation I will have their buddy work on verbally saying or physically clapping their chosen rhythm first and then asking their buddy to dictate the rhythm for them. Additionally, when we work with mallet instruments or rhythm sticks, one of my students who has severe Autism has difficulty holding the smaller dowels, but by cutting a hole in a tennis ball or stress ball and sliding it onto the mallet he is able to hold it much easier and with a more proper grip.
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Emily Ewing Posts: 5
3/16/2017
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Thanks for the reminder to use closed captioning for instruction videos!!! A MUST when working with students who are D/HH
Karen Watson wrote:
I currently have two students who are brothers and are hearing impaired. One in Fifth grade and one in second both do not have hearing aides at this time. I use an amplifier and mic for them for instruction. Also have them sit near the sound system for singing (they do very well with this) and put closed captioning on for instruction videos used in the classroom. Our county also has a hearing impaired teacher who regularly consults with me with ideas to use/try.
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Kathleen Neal Posts: 2
3/23/2017
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I currently have a student with cerebral palsy and has minimal use of his right hand. When we play mallet instruments, he either plays with just his left hand or I help him get a firm grip of the mallet. This allows him to participate in class with minimal change to the lesson.
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Swantje Biernacki Posts: 3
3/24/2017
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In my 2nd grade classes I have had several experiences this year with students that have emotional behavior disability. I do include a lot of movement and hands on activities and find that the disabled students integrated the best into the classroom when using peer partners. If they were partnered up with someone they respected and got well along with, their ability to stay engaged and focused increased enormously. I sometimes had to modify physical movements to have theses students feel more quickly successful since in my experience they got very quickly frustrated, which could easily escalate.
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Katherine Reynard Posts: 3
3/27/2017
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I have several students who are non-verbal in a self-contained class (SVE) - I use the SMART board and a game where the students see pictures of 3-4 instruments and plays an example of one of them - The students come up to the board to choose the instrument they hear and drag the picture of the instrument to the sound circle - This way they are being able to show me that they identify the sound clip to the instrument picture.
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April Laymon Posts: 5
3/30/2017
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I had a student with autism a number of years ago that happened to be a brilliant singer. While the sound of recorders or drums were too overstimulating, singing was definitely in his wheelhouse, and his entire being lit up when we sang. At the time I was teaching in a large multipurpose room, and so it was easier to put space between the different things that might be going on simultaneously in the classroom, i.e., drumming in one corner, singers at the other end of the room. I would also ask the drummers to play significantly softer, in order to not overwhelm their classmate. They were very accomodating, and the student was able to participate effectively, while the others still were able to experience the musical whole of the activity.
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Marie Radloff Posts: 3
4/7/2017
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A few years ago I had a student (Jacob) who was identified as having Emotional Behavior Disorder. As is often the case with EBD students, he had a difficult time transitioning from his gen ed classroom to music. To compound matters, his classroom teacher was inconsistent in her classroom management and often overlooked inappropriate behaviors by some students, but severely "cracked down" on others for the same behaviors, especially Jacob. By the time Jacob came to my class, around 10:30, he was very distressed and often could not function as a member of the class. After talking with Jacob privately, I offered to provide him a positive "time out" space every time he came to music (twice weekly). I presented this as an opportunity for him to take a few minutes to just cool down without any interference from me or his classmates. I told him he could not stay there the whole class period, but to join us as soon as he was ready. Jacob took advantage of this "chill time" every time he came to music for about the first three or four weeks. After that he gradually reduced his alone time and within two months almost never needed it. Just knowing that he had that option became enough for him. I have used this with other EBD students, and found it to be successful with many. By building rapport and providing this space I enabled Jacob, and others, to have a little bit of control over their environment. Jacob became a fully participating, productive member of the class and excelled at all activities and learning.
edited by Marie Radloff on 4/7/2017
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