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Carol Pollock Posts: 3
3/5/2018
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About a year ago, I had a fantastic student with an orthopedic impairment that I did modifications with. (He was missing parts of his fingers on one hand, and missing part of his forearm.) At the time, our fifth graders were learning guitar. This hard-working young man not only didn't let his impairment slow him down, we went through a trial-and-error process of figuring out what would be the best way for him to be successful at playing. Not only did he play the guitar, he was one of the best players I had that year! It was quite a process to figure out modifications for him. We ended up laying the guitar flat so he could reach all the strings (it's normally played on its side.) With the part of the forearm that he had, he ended up using that to strum the guitar. He used his other partially-formed fingers to press down the strings to form each chord. He was such a great kid!!!
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Jenifer Carter Posts: 3
3/5/2018
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I had a student 3 years ago with cerebral palsy. He was in my 5th grade guitar class and had limited use of his right hand. I found an old auto harp and tuned it up for him. He was able to switch chords with his right hand and strum with his left. He excelled at playing the auto harp and told me it was the first time he ever felt he was good at playing any kind of musical instrument.
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Erin Brunelle Posts: 3
3/18/2018
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I currently teach a student that has cerebral palsy. He uses a walker mostly to get around but will sometimes use his arms to "scoot" himself around the room. I usually have a student that is close to him that will get his materials or instrument. When playing movement games he uses his walker to participate- the other students are wonderful when partnered with him. They will go slower so that he can participate. When we are notating melodies or rhythms he finds it easier to use an ipad than regular manipulatives.
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Heather Tillis Posts: 3
3/26/2018
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I have a 4th grade student with autism who is mostly non-verbal in her communication skills and almost constantly rocks and stares into space. At first I took this as an indication that she was not understanding or comprehending what was being taught since she did not sing or move along with what we were doing in the music.Throughout the year, I have found that she is actually quite tuned in to what we are doing and is willing and able to respond with instruments and scarves. Therefore, I now look for opportunities to incorporate various instruments into the lessons and shape movement lessons so that scarves can be used to show understanding instead of body movement.
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Marie Hill Posts: 3
3/30/2018
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We have students with ASD mainstreamed into most general education classes. We find that using strategies to help our ASD population also benefit our non ESE students. In the music room and in the classroom we implement Kagan strategies often. We are also aware that many students do not come to school with good social skill and these must be taught early and often. We also use many visual clues and mneumonic strategies to assist in comprehension.
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Kristen Lewis Posts: 3
4/3/2018
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Currently, I have a fourth grade student with cerebral palsy. He is in a wheelchair, but he can walk with assistance of a walker and someone standing close by. He remembers music and lyrics like nobody's business and he loves to sing. Needless to say, music is his favorite subject. His teachers couldn't get him to recall much of anything until they started putting it into song =) As a music educator I am constantly using instruments and utilizing movement in my classroom. This child is unable to participate in the same ways as his classmates so I make accommodations for him. During movement, he does the most basic movements that he is able to succeed in doing, but that still resemble the motions of the dance steps. Depending on the instrument, I can bring it to him in his wheelchair. I can give him a glockenspiel if we are playing the larger xylophones. With the recorder I work on getting him to blow gentle air through the instrument. All of these are successes for him in my classroom. The other students even cheer on his successes.
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kevin tindall Posts: 3
4/5/2018
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"Bobby" is a first grade student with special education needs (physical impairment). He uses an electric wheelchair and has limited use of his hands and legs. He has attended music class since kindergarten. He has no mental disabilities, attends a first grade inclusion class and functions just as well as his peers. His singing is average, however, he needs modified instruments or a modified technique to play them. I was intimidated by his disability and did not know how he would react to movement exercises and performing on instruments. He could not walk in K, and is now able to stand and walk for short distances this year. He performs movement in his own creative way as long as it follows the rubric for rhythm, flow and creativity. He plays hand drums and other instruments with a modified technique. I am working on acquiring modified instruments for him and others that may benefit from their use. His parents, classmates, and teacher are all supportive in his inclusive education. The physical impairment of his hands will definitely be a challenge as the requirements for music become more technical. He is one who will have to use modifications for these requirements.
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Jessica Barker Posts: 3
4/10/2018
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I currently teach students in 2nd and 3rd Grades with hearing impairments. I have taught both students for 3 years now. These students often appear distracted (looking around the room rather than at the teacher) and they both required additional time to learn how to match pitch and use their singing voices appropriately. For example, my male student sang with a very low voice in Kindergarten and took more time to activate a head voice. With lots of voice exploration, visual aids (pitch graphs), and loads of reinforcement I am happy to say that he has progressed well in the last few years and I seldom hear the original voice he used in Music Class as a Kindergartener. My female student with a hearing impairment did not have pitch issues, rather she had more difficulty blending with peers. Her voice was often forceful and louder than others. We have worked on this skill as well and I also seldom notice this anymore.
During Music Class with these students, I always wear a voice amplifier that is directly linked to their hearing aids. This technology amplifies my voice for these students individually. In addition, I will often try to redirect attention by sitting them near the front of the room, making direct eye contact, and using non-verbal cues to enhance my teaching and check for understanding. Visual aids also help tremendously as well as physical movement that matches the movement of the voice.
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Ethan Sapp Posts: 7
4/16/2018
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"Larry" is a student in my music class that has an intellectual disability, as well as a language and speech impairment. At the very beginning of the year, he was not personally "involved" in our lessons. However, by playing examples of music, I found out what genres he liked. He quickly became an interested listener. I have a small drum set in my class, and he shows great interest in that. I frequently allow him to play on it, and he is skilled in keeping a steady beat. We try to get him to count while we play, and name the instruments. We sometimes have the paraprofessional do "hand on hand" techniques to facilitate participation on new instruments. He is a joy to have.
edited by Ethan Sapp on 4/16/2018
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Ethan Sapp Posts: 7
4/16/2018
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Kristen Lewis wrote:
Currently, I have a fourth grade student with cerebral palsy. He is in a wheelchair, but he can walk with assistance of a walker and someone standing close by. He remembers music and lyrics like nobody's business and he loves to sing. Needless to say, music is his favorite subject. His teachers couldn't get him to recall much of anything until they started putting it into song =) As a music educator I am constantly using instruments and utilizing movement in my classroom. This child is unable to participate in the same ways as his classmates so I make accommodations for him. During movement, he does the most basic movements that he is able to succeed in doing, but that still resemble the motions of the dance steps. Depending on the instrument, I can bring it to him in his wheelchair. I can give him a glockenspiel if we are playing the larger xylophones. With the recorder I work on getting him to blow gentle air through the instrument. All of these are successes for him in my classroom. The other students even cheer on his successes.
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Ethan Sapp Posts: 7
4/16/2018
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Ann McFall wrote:
I currently teach a student with cerebral palsy. The student is in a wheelchair that has a table top attached to it so it acts like a desk. In my music classroom she has a paraprofessional that helps her one on one. The biggest accommodation I make each week is with instrument usage. The student's hand muscles are rigid, so she uses tiny glockenspiel mallets so that they will fit in her hand. The xylophone or glockenspiel sits on her wheelchair desk so she is able to see the instrument close up. She is unable to hold anything in her right hand, therefore I modify her instrumental part so she is successful with one mallet.
The student sits close to the front of the room due to poor vision. Anytime she works with the SMARTboard in my room I read and point to the questions and answers so that she is able to successfully choose the correct answer. Cerebral Palsy has affected her hearing a little as well and I make sure that she is close to the sound system or that I sing/give instructions near her so that she is able to hear and understand what is being asked of her. I normally say directions twice so that all students understand, but sometimes this students requests to hear the instructions 3 or more times.
When working in groups, I will modify the assignment for all students in her group. I will break the assignment down into smaller pieces, give extended time if needed, and I will assign the group an instrument to play that they are ALL successful at performing.
Sounds like this method is having great success! Glad to know there are great teachers in our field! PS Please ignore my other reply. It was an accident.
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Ethan Sapp Posts: 7
4/16/2018
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Carrie Guffy wrote:
I currently have a young lady that is considered Visually Impaired. She has a condition that causes her eyes to shake, which makes reading that music extremely difficult for her. She learns best by peer-tutoring with a strong singer in the class who helps her through rote instruction. Occasionally she will ask for her music to be enlarged, especially when working on solo auditions.
At first, enlarging music might seem like a simple step, but it's very effective. Your post is a great reminder to not overlook any student's needs in your classroom.
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Ethan Sapp Posts: 7
4/16/2018
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Ivy Hernandez wrote:
I had a 6th grade student with mild autism and fine motor skill issues. She was not able to hold an instrument, control rhythm of an instrument, or pay attention by herself. The instruments were modified so that she could hold them easier, and She was provided a music buddy, who helped her keep rhythm and to pay attention when the ESE teacher was not in the room or I could not personally assist her. She was not able to write, so instead she typed or her music buddy transcribed the music for her.
Modifying the instrument itself is a wonderful idea! Typing is also another modification that could easily be over looked. Great job!
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Thesa Smith Posts: 1
4/16/2018
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I have a kindergartner with an intellectual disability as well as a speech and language impairment. At the beginning of the year he was very shy and would not participate in the music class. Last Fall as we were learning to sing for the Thanksgiving Concert he told me that he wanted to sing, "Wheels on the Bus." I responded to that request and played the song. He perked up and started singing with the music. Letting him choose the song created interest and a willingness to participate for the first time. He has become more successful when singing and likes movement with scarves. He is now working on steady beat and clapping with the strong beat. This very young and sky little boy tells me that he likes music. A paraprofessional comes in with him and helps him use the instruments and will sing with him when we echo sing a new song.
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Katherine Rafalski Posts: 3
4/27/2018
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I have a student with Cerebral Palsy who is non-verbal but still mobile. She has difficulty with fine motor skills and I often either adjust what she is doing or have some one help her. We are currently doing ukuleles I have her sit by the friend she is most comfortable having help her that way she can have help while still trying to do independent work. When we do singing activities she moves her mouth and her arms to show that she is participating. Other adjustments I have made sure to make for her are to have a chair instead of her standing on the risers as she feels that she would fall. She loves participating in everything and never wants to be left behind from what the other students are doing, so I try to be as accommodating and flexible with her as I can be.
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Tamara Castellon Posts: 3
5/1/2018
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I have a foster care student that I've been teaching for the past three years with severe emotional/behavioral disorders due to a traumatic events that happened earlier in his life. For the first two years that I taught him, his disabilities regularly interrupted class despite any strategies employed. This year, I began private music therapy sessions with him in the morning in an effort to start his day off right. The result has been that his behavior has not only dramatically improved in my class, but in every area of the school as well.
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Hernan E Pineda Posts: 3
5/5/2018
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Several years ago I had a student with autism spectrum disorder, who exhibited a very rigid personality and did not communicate with his classmates, thereby affecting social interaction. His isolation did not allow him to exchange with classmates during activities in small groups. However, this boy presented exceptional abilities in terms of pitch matching, outshining his 2nd grade classmates in all the activities related to this musical aspect. His success in these activities and the praise he received from peers and myself helped him considerably to work, little by little, cooperatively in the music classroom.
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Bruce Scott Posts: 3
5/6/2018
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Let's call him Ricky, because I did that by accident, then it became a running joke. He is wheelchair-bound and has very limited motor skills with his hands. Part of our Music Engineering curriculum involves using music software on the computer. Ricky was always very persistent, but would struggle using the mouse. I found a joystick online that would work with an iMac computer but also had to find an app that would recognize the joystick. It turned out to be a great find because Ricky experienced much more joy and success during our time on the computer.
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Holly Cady Posts: 3
5/6/2018
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I currently teach 24 autistic students ranging from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Each has their specific level of communication difficulties and reactions to external stimuli. They are divided into three self contained classrooms and come to music with different gen ed classes. I often pair the students with a gen ed buddy of their choosing which works for assisting with instrument control and behavior replacement reminders. I also have noise cancelling headphones and a tent in the back corner of the room with sensory balls of different sizes and textures, as well as some lighted balls. When the students get overwhelmed, they have their safe space to reset. They can bring the balls out of the tent and use them as comfort items while sitting or walking during activities. I learn from these students every time they are in my class as to how to communicate and how to interpret their sounds, movements, and triggers. With the help of their assistants, we are able to reach each student at their level and can help improve their communication and social skills.
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Phillip McReynolds Posts: 2
5/7/2018
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I have a student in third grade that doesn't have an obvious disability, but he refused to sing or do any of the activities. When he would have one of his less than cooperative days, he would complain or argue with me for the sake of arguing. But it wasn't just a grumpy belligerence, something seemed different. It was almost like an response to a minor learning disability plus an emotional reaction. I ran into him and his mother in the front office, and she confirmed his unwillingness to sing and to do many music activities at his last school. I started to talk to him outside of the class, and find out some of his interests. Over the last several months, he has slowly been participating more, although he still has his days where he'll cover his mouth and turn his head during singing time. And now he will participate in answering questions and SMARTBOARD activities. It is not where I'd like him to be yet, but it is a significant improvement.
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