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Jessica Floyd Posts: 3
3/16/2021
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In previous years I have had a student with severe autism, he struggled with becoming overwhelmed by too much stimulus. We worked together to simplify movements such as strumming patterns, so that he would strum a whole note while everyone else strummed a specific rhythmic pattern. This allowed him to continue to count with the other students, and change chords in time, while continuing to contribute to the music making process. We also adjusted chords, to omit certain strings, or only play the root of the chord (like a bass line), this helped set attainable expectations that he could continue to grow on in the future.
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Stephany Heath-Tucker Posts: 3
3/18/2021
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Fine Arts educators:
- Think of a student with a disability you have now or in the past. Describe ways in which their disability affected their learning in your class.
As a first-year teacher, I taught elementary music K-5th grade. I taught over 800 students and had the opportunity to teach a very small class of students with very severe impairments/exceptionalities. Because I had such large class-sizes, I got permission to teach that class in a small-group format during my planning period once every 2 weeks instead of doing an inclusion method of teaching. This allowed the students in this class that were sensitive to loud noises and not able to participate in the activities in my general music classes to have one-on-one instructional time with me and their teachers. We would sing, play "boom-whacker" instruments that they could bang together, clap on the beat, and just enjoy music together at a level that they were able to process and the students were able to demonstrate engagement/participation in each music lesson.
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Stephany Heath-Tucker
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Sheila Harris Posts: 3
3/22/2021
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I had a student with mild cerebral palsy that affected his right hand. He chose to play Baritone/Euphonium. I located an instrument that would allow him to comfortably play using his left hand. He was one of the best players in the section. I have also had several students on the Autism Spectrum and have had success by simply meeting their needs where they are through adapting my instruction.
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Angela Nass Posts: 2
3/23/2021
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Think of a music student with a disability you have now, or have had in the past. Identify their disability. Describe the way in which their disability affected their music learning. Describe at least one or more ways you successfully accommodated or modified instruction for this student. Share your response in the threaded discussion.
I have had a student with Asperger's Syndrome. This student had difficulty keeping up with the group, but wanted to play and fit in better with the group. I had the entire class play pass-off's on lines in their books, or on different sections of the music. During the pass-off's, I worked with each student individually and helped them as needed. This allowed for my student who had Asperger's to receive individualized help without drawing unnecessary attention to him. He was eventually able to successfully play with the full ensemble.
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Angela Nass Posts: 2
3/23/2021
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*Describe an example of adapted assessment you have successfully used in the Fine Arts classroom for students with disabilities.
I use the "pass-off" system. I allow time during each class for students to individually play lines in their books or sections of their music while other students practice. Allowing other students to practice during pass-off time, keeps the attention off of the student playing the pass-off so they do not feel self-conscious. Student receive a short private lesson each time they play a pass-off. I allow students to learn at their own pace, and grade them according to their personal improvement. This method has been successful with all of my students.
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Victoria Rathbun Posts: 3
3/24/2021
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I once had a student with Friedreich's Ataxia--a degenerative, orthopaedic disease. This student's disorder effected his mobility (he zoomed around campus in an electric wheelchair), his vocal production (his voice was very quiet), and his ability to hold a writing utensil. The vocal production element was of particular challenge because of his involvement in Chorus Classes. He had an incredible sense of humor, though, and students naturally saw him as a leader, so he ran for and was awarded several leadership positions within the chorus during his tenure in the program. I also gave him the opportunity to respond verbally, instead of in writing, since writing was a real challenge. Singing-wise, we spent a lot of time examining the physicality of singing for all singers. With him, specifically, we focused on breath support and using that to fuel tone--even in a perpetually seated position.
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Karine Johns Posts: 3
3/25/2021
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Describe how fine arts educators can use the state and federal laws to advocate for the inclusion of students with disabiities in fine arts.
Fine arts educators have a clear position to support and advocate for the inclusion of students with disabiities in fine arts classes. As recommended for traditional academic classes, fine arts teachers can use a variety of instructional strategies to support and accomodate student learning. Among these include differentiated instruction, scaffolding techniques, assistive technology, small groupings, visual aids, and physical accomodations. Such strategies can lead to successful outcomes for students with disabilities and are often very appropriate for students to excel with their unique talents and abilities to express themselves.
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CorrectHorseBattery Posts: 3
3/31/2021
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I have a student with a diagnosed panic attack disorder. Of course, this can lead to complete physical and emotional shutdowns during times of extreme stress, trouble at home, or even just difficult class activities that they do not quickly achieve success with. This can completely interrupt a full class period for them, if not several depending on the severity. It has become extremely important for both of us to recognize the early triggers of an oncoming attack so that they are able to employ coping strategies, and be able to regain an amount of control for the remainder of a class period, etc.
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Melissa Wight Posts: 3
4/1/2021
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I have a student that is on the autism spectrum. This causes him to misread when it is appropriate to play his instrument and not play his instrument. He will often play when we should be in rest position and not play when I ask the ensemble to begin playing. He tends to also have a difficult time during sectionals and working with his peers. To accommodate this student I would sit him closer to me so I could quietly cue him in to when it is appropriate to play. This student also had a difficult time following directions, staying organized, and following along in his music. I would provide several reminders to redirect him back to task and call out measure numbers multiple times to redirect him to the correct place in the music.
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Walter Busse Posts: 3
4/3/2021
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I've taught for over 30 years of all ages/abilities and (even for my own memorization) I always use mnemonic devices. It's a great way for the brain to associate, order and group data.
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John Weaver Posts: 3
4/10/2021
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I currently have a freshmen tuba player with autism. He is high-functioning and does well with routines, however loud noises cause him stress. We have made some accommodations such as allowing him to wear headphones when needed and allowing him to only participate in the concert band as the 200-piece marching band was over-stimulating for him. He struggled with getting “off-task”, especially sitting in the back of the room with the other tubas and being socially-distanced at 6 foot intervals. Instead of moving him closer to the front, we have found success by putting him next to the principal chair and using a “band buddy” to help keep him on task. His parents were concerned at first if he would be able to have success in high school band, but through communication with them, problem-solving, and trying different accommodations, he is an absolute joy to have in our program!
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Alexander Franklin Posts: 6
4/29/2021
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One of my freshmen this year has PTSD from abuse in her childhood. The trigger is loud and repetitive noises, such as fireworks, a metronome, etc. Some sounds don't bother her, such as voice setting #2 on the DB80 metronome, but using a woodblock as a metronome (for instance) causes a complete shut down, where she cannot stand, she begins to cry, and somewhat loses awareness of her surroundings. Obviously, in a HS band setting this type of trigger can occur frequently, so her and I have discussed not only which sounds trigger her but also to recognize the early warning signs. Through experimentation, we've found that the volume of the repetitive noise affects the reaction, so she will be positions further away from the sound source to lower the volume. She's experimented occasionally with earplugs, but that causes too much disruption to the quality of her flute playing that we avoid that solution. She also can be affected if the sound is unfamiliar to her or suddenly onset; exposing her to the sound beforehand in a controlled manner has proven to help. In the instance of the woodblock, the first time in class using it was her first major breakdown. I then began using different metronome methods, with each time of use becoming easier for her.
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Alexander Franklin Posts: 6
4/29/2021
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Elizabeth Phillips wrote:
I've had a number of students with orthopedic impairments. This has never kept them from performing with our choirs pertaining to choreographed selections. We have modified choreography to allow the student to succeed and participate within their limitations. Students have been successful with improving their upper body strength through choreographed selections and have felt part of the team in all aspects of the performance.
I LOVE when cross overs happen like this; using fine arts to strengthen another area of a child's development. I frequently tell my high school students that the goal of my classes is not to have them know the year that Mozart died, but rather to know how to find out the year that he died. I use music (specifically history and theory) as a means to teach research skills and organization. The information may not be retained as well as with traditional "memorize this" methods, but the real-world application exceeds the retained specific knowledge of music history, in my opinion.
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jacob merrett Posts: 3
5/4/2021
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I had a student who was legally blind, but could see alright with glasses. Of course I sat this student near the front of the room and made sure to project anything at a larger size than usual. I also implemented a process for the entire class in which, before writing anything on written work, students read the paper in its entirety and ask any clarifying questions ahead of time. This gave that student the opportunity to be accommodated without being singled out, which he appreciated.
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Roberto Giovanetti Posts: 3
5/6/2021
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I had a student who was born without arms but loved music. He especially loved percussion instruments. He was able to write, feed himself, and do almost everything that is done with arms and hands. The obstacles that he found to participate in a music ensemble where the obstacles of instruments and settings that where not designed to be adaptable. He was able to participate fully when we started adapting the instruments to fit his toes. He loved to play a "güiro", which is a long dried gourd that has one side covered in parallel carvings and has holes on the other side to hold it. It is played by striking the carvings with a "puya", which has a wood handle and very thin, blunt metal sticks. This instrument produces a sound that keeps the rhythm and is at the heart of a large portion of Puerto Rican music. For my student to be able to hold the "güiro" we custom-fitted the circumference of the holes used to hold it to the size of his toes. Then we sanded and reduced the size of the handle of the "puya" to make it thin enough for to hold it between his toes. He also required an adapted seating setting that allowed him to raise his legs to play without putting too much stress on his back/waist. When he was at the center of the rhythm section he was able to keep everyone else coordinated as they followed his steady lead. Instead of making him adapt to what was available, we needed to adapt what was available for him to be able to express himself.
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Crystal Hendricks Posts: 4
5/6/2021
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I've had a student in my band program who is visually impaired. We scanned all his music and uploaded it to an IPad where he can enlarge it. I also enlarged some of his music instead of putting it on the Ipad. However the IPad made it brighter and easier for him to see. He was also a trombone player and he listened for the pitches more than reading.
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Monique Green Posts: 3
5/9/2021
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I've had students that were involved in the program. Recently involved are two young ladies that are deaf and hard of hearing. They are great students, love music, and love school. It's amazing getting to know them and making sure we are communicating properly. They are now a part of the color guard section and have displayed some delays in timing within choreography. Now that we've teamed up with interpreters, have created more visual aids when giving instructions, and being more clear and intentional when using facial and body gestures. It has provided clarity for all students. Their timing has improved to a point it seems like they are truly in sync with everyone and hearing. Its a beautiful sight. They'll be getting hearing aids soon.
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Chris Snyder Posts: 3
5/13/2021
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I have had students with social anxiety and I used technology by allowing them to complete assignments/pass offs that I would usually have the students do in person. This gave them as much time as they needed and gave them the opportunity to be comfortable in the setting that they were in when performing.
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Joseph Galeczka Posts: 3
5/15/2021
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I had a student who was legally blind and Albino. While he had use of his vision it was very poor. For example he could not see items which were projected on a screen. He also had challenges with different lighting. For example, some days the fluorescent lighting in the room would cause him headaches and would affect his vision even more drastically. Also moving from dark to light environments as in back stage to on-stage could create a dangerous situation. To help accommodate him. Any activities I projects on the board, I would give him herd copies. When music which was too small, I would blow them up on a copier. I would allow him to wear sunglasses in class and on stage to help with his photo sensitivity. When we were moving between light and dark environments I would always have a fellow student he could use as a guide to ensure he did not run into things or lose his sense of direction. I also always made sure he sat close to the front by the board and made sure to use dry erase colors which he could see.
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Max Cordell Posts: 7
5/22/2021
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I have a student in band that has not been formally diagnosed with ADD but shows many of the signs, especially lack of attention and a seeming inability to comprehend a lot of what I am talking about. Just getting him to open his theory book to the right page and follow along with the explanation has been a challenge. The session on accommodations provided a wealth of alternative ways to have the material presented and for the students to respond in order to enhance their learning. Just listening to my words did not help much. I can see where more visual enhancements were needed. This would include things like slides on the screen with graphics and movies explaining the theory concepts (they are out there). Also I believe that making him do some testing with the computer Q and A with the immediate feedback would be better for him than the written exams. He loves video games so the digital approach might have helped with both presentation and responding. I can see where frequent ongoing assessments in class would have prepared him better for the final summative assessment. Also for a child like this, take home assignments don't work because he does not do his homework, I think assessment drills in class while I am watching is the only guarantee that he will stay better focused.
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Max Cordell
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