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Michelle Smith Posts: 6
7/29/2020
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I have had many students over the years that are on the Autism spectrum and have issues with listening lessons where we were learning about dynamics. If the music was too loud or too sudden like in Haydn's "Surprise Symphony", I always provided an option for the student to wear head phones or move to an alternative location. I also would front load the instruction so the child could make a choice and provide proximity support if requested. I have also had children during lessons where we played metal instruments like the metallophone that were loud and vibrated for longer who I have made accommodations for the student to play a xylophone or other hand-help percussion that would not be so stimulating. Head phones are an excellent option for these students in the beginning of the year and we try to slowly provide the support to learn how to listen without the headphones over the elementary span of their education.
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Kyung Hee Woo Posts: 4
7/29/2020
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I have a student with visual impairment and students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Visual impairment can affect her learning if I use visual CORE Word or music symbols without any modifications. For students with ASD, they could be easily bored if I just verbally lecture about musical notes.
It is an effective way to give an oral presentation about the value of musical notes and rests using different length’s soft scarves. For example, I count ‘One’ while she or he feels the scarf as a quarter note’s value which is one beat. And then a teacher says ‘Two’ when the student touches two tied scarves as a half note’s value which is two beats.
This oral presentation with soft scarves is not only for students who are unable to see a printed direction but also for students who have the Autism Spectrum Disorder to understand the value of each musical note and rest easily and clearly.
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kyung
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Kyung Hee Woo Posts: 4
7/29/2020
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Playing with headphones on is an effective way to engage students. Pauline Latorre wrote:
I have had a student with autism that was very sensitive to noise. Whenever we did anything that was loud, like bells, he would cover his ears and I could tell it really bothered him. When we would play handbells during the holiday season, in order for him to comfortably participate, I would have him use noise cancelling headphones while we played along with a dvd or youtube video. I would give him the choice to play the bell with the headphones on, or play an online keyboard app like Musicca.com. He enjoyed having the accommodation because he was able to participate with the rest of the class.
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kyung
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Yanet Martinez Posts: 3
8/3/2020
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I had this past year a student with autism. She had a difficult time experimenting loud sounds and following some activities and socializing with other students. In order to accommodate for this students, I had a routine of things that I did every time (since out of routine things made her anxious). I would explain to her in a soft voice the activities and the instructions. If some loud activities would bother, I would use the headphones and let her experiment with different sounds on the keyboard. One thing that she loved and I especially did for her was to play her favorite song at the end of each class for her. This used to calm her down, and draw a smile in her face.
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Jess DuPree Posts: 3
8/5/2020
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I had a student with intellectual disability. When working on classroom xylophones, I modified the student's activity to be played on a two note bass note xylophone. This allowed the student to be successful within the music classroom.
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Cliff Fouts Posts: 3
8/6/2020
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I currently have a student with Specific Learning Difficulties who has difficulty physically participating with the class, especially when performing on instruments. As a percussionist, I have a lot of tools which are very useful to a percussionist who has their hands full with several sticks/mallets, etc. These adaptive resources, which were originally intended to assist a musician quickly switching from several instruments to another, have been hugely beneficial in accommodating this student. Instead of having to hold a triangle in one hand, hold a beater in the other, and maintain the muscle control to play the instrument in time with their peers, I utilize these assistive devices so that the students only has to tap the beater, which is mounted along with the triangle. The students is able to perform successfully along with their peers and demonstrate their knowledge and musical ability.
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Amanda Johnston Posts: 3
8/10/2020
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I have had a numerous amount of students with disabilities like LI, E/BD, IND, ASD, D/HH, VI, and OHI. Many times, these students need preferential seating or I place them next to a peer that will be helpful for them. Just thinking to last year I had a student with hearing impairments and needed basic accommodations like sitting close to the speaker. My school also provides three self contained classes that come to music class, some are mainstreamed and the rest come by themselves. When my self-contained students come to music I may need to greatly modify the lesson to meet each kids' level of need. Sometimes we totally side step the lesson as I gauge the "mood" of the class. (One time I only had one student that came that day so I gave the boy a private piano lesson. He loved it, and it was the first time I saw him smile in three years of knowing him!) I also provide motivation by letting them choose an instrument to free-style at the end of class if they try to participate during the lesson. This stretches the kids to not just sit there and be present, but to actively be engaged.
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Michael Hipple Posts: 3
8/12/2020
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I have had numerous students with disabilities (we have inclusion as well as self-contained classes that come to music). I have been fortunate enough to have three students who had either hearing loss or complete deafness. Each of the students would come with someone who would sign what what was being said for them. It was a wonderful experience to get to watch them interact with the class, try to teach some signs to some of their friends, and interact with the lesson. For one particular lesson, the song we were working on as a whole class had a sign language component to it. This student just lit up with excitement seeing all of her classmates now trying to do what she did each and every day. It really helped her interact with her classmates more since that lesson. Students would come up to her and ask how to sign certain words...she went from being a student to being a teacher!
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Julie Blank Posts: 3
8/31/2020
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I had an ASD student who was non verbal. It made it more challenging for him to participate in our singing activities and for response to questions.
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Kathleen Mannion Posts: 3
9/9/2020
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This is my first year teaching music, but when I was doing my student teaching I had a student with a visual impairment. He played the baritone, which is traditionally in the last row of the band. Our band was small, so we kept him with the other baritones but had him sit on the end of the row, so he could see the conducting better. We also made enlarged copies of his music for him, and if it was needed one of the percussionists would help him turn the page to keep up with the music while they had extended rests in their part.
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Kathleen Mannion Posts: 3
9/10/2020
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I think that using graphic organizers during a listening or music history unit would be a great implementation of UDL. The students could put the time period or the piece in the middle, and add the supporting details and characteristics and key composers of the period to help make connections and visualize them. This would help the student with a disability be able to map out their thinking and connections, but would also benefit every other student as well.
I could also use mnemonic devices to help teach the pitch names for both treble and bass clefs. I can teach the students the mnemonic devices, and then challenge them to come up with a different one that would also work. For example, bass lines are GBDFA. The mnemonic device I use is Great Big Dogs Fight Animals. I like this one for bass clef because it has the line names, but big dogs also evoke the aural image of deep, low sounds. This work for bass clef because these are our lower pitches. However, I have also heard Grandma Brown Don't Fool Around used as a mnemonic device for bass clef lines, so there are other ways we can make connections.
This is my first year teaching music, but when I was student teaching we used a printer to enlarge the notes on sheet music to help a student with a visual impairment be able to read his music. He was able to better focus on his playing and we could focus on other areas because he did not have to struggle with trying to read the notes on the regular sheet music.
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Kathleen Mannion Posts: 3
9/10/2020
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When I was doing my student teaching I had a student with a visual impairment. An appropriate accommodation for assessment could be to read the questions to him if we were doing a written assessment. This way he would not struggle with trying to read the question, and could just focus on the content of the question and how he is going to answer it. Another accommodation would be to allow him to take the assessment on a computer or Ipad, that way he could easily enlarge the text or notation and be able to see it without struggling.
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Linda Suppa Posts: 4
10/7/2020
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I had a 4th grade student who was missing digits on her hand. She wanted to play the recorder. I was able to tape off the back hole and the top hole on her recorder and she able to play an entire octave. In addition, I ordered a mallet that I could Velcro on her hand so that she could hold a mallet. She developed into an amazing instrumental musician.
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Michelle Smith Posts: 6
10/18/2020
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I have a student with down syndrome who would always come to music at the end of the day when she was exhausted from the various expectations of the day. Singing or playing music would cause her to have a melt down. To assist her with controlling the amount of stimulation, I requested that she wear headphones to lessen the sound input/dynamic level. She loved to sing, but instrument playing was too much especially if it was anything made from metal like a metallophone or triangle. Through deliberate planning, I would relocate a xylophone or a wooden percussion instrument that would have less vibration.
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Jania Harden Posts: 3
10/28/2020
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I have a 2nd grader who has LI and OI disabilities. She is wheelchair bound and she can barely speak above a whisper but she loves to sing! Though she has limited movement with her arms and hands she has a strong grip. I found using hand bells with an adjusted grip worked well for her. When the class would sing a scale she would provide our tuning blocks for whatever note(s) we were focusing in on for that day. She really developed an ear.
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AmandaCrawford Posts: 3
11/4/2020
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I have several students on the spectrum at the moment in a self-contained ESE class. This year, I am on a cart due to covid and it has helped with limiting transitions for these students. They have flexible seating in their classroom and have fidgets and tools they need to help them focus. I am very flexible with my lessons in this class. Although we can't do the same songs each week, I do try to accommodate them with repeating repertoire and activities when possible. I find ways to scaffold while using the same songs so we go a little deeper each week, but are still sticking to the familiar. I also make sure that within the flexibility of repetition, I still adhere to a routine such as rules, opening video to get them excited, movement, songs, review games, and a final Quaver video or activity.
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Kristen Lichtenthal Posts: 3
11/11/2020
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I once taught a student who had an Orthopedic Impairment as well as an Intellectual Disability. He had an ESE aid who came to music class, but he was always encouraged to do things as independently as he could. When it came time to play the recorder, his Orthopedic Impairment prevented him from holding the recorder firmly and placing his fingers where they needed to go. I worked with him one-on-one and while he responded well to verbal instructions, his retention of the information did not last for more than a minute or so. He would repeatedly ask "Can you help me?" This indicated that he knew what was supposed to happen but could not make his mind and body work the way it needed to in order to complete the task. Nevertheless, he pressed on and never stopped trying! We added adaptive covers for the recorder and worked on songs that did not require him to move his fingers too much. He felt successful if he could hold the recorder and play any sound, so he always felt motivated throughout class.
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James Parish Posts: 3
11/30/2020
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I taught a student who was autistic. He was incredibly bright but would always second guess himself to the point he would become frustrated and begin to harm himself. We would have to speak to him clearly and literally and remind him that he knows how to accomplish the task. That would help him calm down and focus.
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Allison Lund Posts: 2
12/1/2020
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I have a student with one arm. He's in an upper grade that uses drumsticks and mallets (requiring 2 hands.) In most activities, he is able to still play all the rhythms. I took a moment last week to show him proper mallet technique used in high school percussion ensembles that allows for him to have the mallet/stick bounce more. This gives him the ability to play faster rhythms using one hand/stick, rhythms that other students may have to alternate 2 mallets/sticks in order to play correctly. The student also secures one stick under his arm when clicking the sticks together during rhythms studies, rather than holding a stick in each hand. When we move to melodic instruments, he may have a bassline that requires less notes or he may get to play a bass drum instrument, since he is able to keep a steady tempo better than most of his classmates. It helps that this student has a genuine interest in music and wants to learn to perform on various instruments.
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William Ruswick Posts: 2
12/5/2020
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I enjoy the freedom I have when I get 2 clusters of elementary ESE/autistic students. I have learned that using the Tiered approach I discovered importance of pacing. I was always trying to move to fast. When I slowed things down..pacing, the students began to repeat and absorbed the lesson. The structure must be different in the fact the students enjoy a more open area to move and repeat the lesson. I use movement in so many things related to rhythm. I also found Task cards is something the teachers wear around their neck. Listen, walk, teacher, bathroom, etc... so many great pictures on cards. I followed suit by making a bunch of these Task cards. Music notes, rests, beat etc.. This students like most react great to visuals.
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