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Constance Poitier Posts: 11
2/13/2017
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Out of six classes a day, I have a variety of exceptionalities all day, every day. In chorus, I have a student who is low functioning ADD. He has a beautiful voice, loves to sing and is a member of his family singing group. My philosophy is that anyone who loves to sing, should be in chorus. It is very difficult for him to retain foundational theory so I keep him alert in review materials by calling his name for a response (which helps him try to focus in case he has to answer a question); I put him one-on-one with a high functioning All State student when we break up into sight-reading groups (scaffolding); and I utilize time with him after school (because his bus is the latest to arrive). I keep his family informed of his musical advancements so they can assist. I have taught two of his three sisters. Two are majoring in music in college.
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Theresa King Posts: 3
2/13/2017
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I'm a vocal teacher, and I had a student with severely limited upper body movement because of a congenital disorder. She also had impaired vision. I provided accommodations such as preferred seating, enlarged print for music, worksheets and tests, extended time for completion and supplemental materials such as enlarged writing utensils to ensure her success. She rose to the occasion each time and even ended up as part of my show choir.
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Meredith Hollowell Posts: 7
2/14/2017
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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."
I had a student who was hearing impaired in my music class. I designed activities so that he would have the opportunity to "feel" the beat when other students were singing to the music. He had a good sense of rhythm and was able to be involved with hand clapping, marching, and dance-like motions. When using visual cues, he was able to play rhythm instruments on cue and still feel as though he was contributing and a part of the group.
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Pamela Jo Guess Posts: 3
2/16/2017
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I had a student that was missing several fingers and she played percussion. Her parent actually created a drum stick and mallet to adapt to her hands so that she could play drums and keyboard percussion.
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Tabitha Bennett Posts: 3
2/18/2017
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I have a student with an emotional/behavioral disability. In my music classroom, this student is welcomed to take small breaks when necessary. These breaks range from sitting in rest position to walking out of the classroom.
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Terri Booth Posts: 3
3/2/2017
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Many years ago the band director at a local junior high school worked with hearing impaired students and discovered that they can be successful on reed instruments as they "hear" the sound through their jaw. As things go, the year after I read this article a hearing impaired student was placed in my class and I had her play clarinet. She became one of my best players in the beginning band and had the best tone. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first but I know it works.
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cooleyc Posts: 3
3/7/2017
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Several years ago I was teaching middle school band, and had the pleasure of teaching a young lady who was visually impaired. She could not see at all. She learned trumpet by learning to listen to the note names orally spoken, and the rhythms spoken. Then the music was played on trumpet for her. She would practice listening to her part on the tape player over and over. Within one or two days she would come into rehearsal and have her part completely learned. I was totally amazed. She adapted to playing with the group by listening for the tap of my baton for instruments up, and her neighbor would tap his foot next to hers. Instruments down was accomplished by a little help from the student next to her whispering "down". It was great no one in the audience ever knew that she could not see. She was one of the very best players I have ever had the pleasure of teaching. What a joy!
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Jason Sobol Posts: 1
3/9/2017
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One of my students is on the Autistic spectrum and she either insists she can not do any of my visual art assignments, or she rushes through them- no matter the degree of difficulty- in about 20 minutes. She then wants really honest critiques, and looks upset if I indicate that there is anything she can work on.
My primary method to assist her is to have her chunk out the assignment, and list steps. Then, tackle each one, one at a time. This can help- she will often get up and take a break, but at least she comes back to it and seems more willing to commit to the ideal of the assignment.
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Daniel Reed Posts: 3
3/9/2017
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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 several students with physical disabilities with regards to their ability to press the fretboard of the guitar in class guitar instruction. For some I implemented heavy stretching in the beginning of the class and minimized their time spent playing into smaller sections. Others used steel-stringed acoustic rather than classical guitars which have a smaller neck. The student with the most disability played a bass guitar with the strings retuned to fit each piece.
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Dominick Eggen Posts: 5
3/19/2017
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A former student of my band program had an intellectual disability and he was able to participate in our daily band class and after-school marching band like every other student. He joined our program as a member of our marching band percussion section, playing the congas, and like each percussionist in the program, was given individually written parts to meet his level of ability and understanding.
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Dustin Hicklen Posts: 3
3/21/2017
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I had a former student who had a hard-of-hearing disability. The main challenge was that I could not always move her to front of the room as she was a percussionist. I made sure to write daily instructions and announcements on the board for her to read. For playing with the ensemble she would rely on visual cues for entrances from myself or another student in her section.
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Paul Roy Posts: 3
3/23/2017
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Several years ago I was teaching a music technology course in which students learned to use computers for website creation, music notation, audio/MIDI sequencing, etc. I had one student who was Visually Impaired - she was not blind, but had very little vision and used a guide dog to get around. Throughout the course, we regularly met to get her set up with the computer's adaptive technology, including a higher contrast screen, magnifier, and keyboard shortcuts for the different programs so that she did not always have to use a mouse. I would also send her links to videos or other visual material we looked at in class so that she could look at it in more detail on her own computer. It seemed to work well - she did well in the course and appreciated the accommodations.
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Karen VanBeek Posts: 3
3/23/2017
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I have had a student that had sensory issues and was often disturbed by extreme pitch and volume. I cut the cord on an old pair of headphones and allowed him to use them as needed. It helped him tolerate the music, but it also gave him a feeling of control over his environment.
I have also had students that needed adaptive mallets and recorders with tape covering the holes.
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Alicia Walker Posts: 1
3/23/2017
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I have had a student that was blind. During our recorder unit, once the class was semi proficient on the song, the student would listen and play the song by ear. He had a very good listening ear and could listen to each pitch and then could play the song.
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Valerie Terry Posts: 4
3/24/2017
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I have had students go through my wheel class that had cerebral palsy. They were determined to be able to participate. We were able to make adaptions to they way they held the violin and since they did not have much control over their fingers they spent a lot of time playing open strings. We also had to adapt they way they held the bow so they could at least try to play with it and feel like they were a part of the class. They may not have played everything correctly but they felt like they were able to experience playing a string instrument in the short period of time they were in the class. Their parents came to our end of the unit concert and were very pleased with what they were able to try.
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Valerie Terry Posts: 4
3/24/2017
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Juan Mayato wrote:
I have one kid I can think of who had autism. He was one of my favorite students. He was definitely high - functioning. He would work harder and harder if he didn't get something and actually achieved an incredible level of ability!
I have also had two students who were high functioning ASD students. They both worked very hard and played very well by the time they left me in middle school. The really interesting thing was that we discovered they also had perfect pitch.
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Shane Swezey Posts: 2
3/24/2017
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I'm a music teacher and music therapist employed at a center school for students with special needs. Every student at the school has an IEP, so I have a large number of students to choose from! The largest percentage of our students would be those on the autism spectrum, ranging in ages from 5-22. This population has a very diverse list of challenges, all of which may manifest themselves differently on an individual basis, making each student unique. I would say keeping student focus of attention and engagement is always a difficulty with this population, especially considering I see students in classes and for 55 minutes in length. I have learned to have an excess of activities planned, use music to create structure, sing transitions between activities, and give plenty of opportunities for movement in small or large spaces.
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David Dixson Posts: 3
4/2/2017
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I'm a middle school band director who had a student that was visually impaired. She was having a difficult time seeing the print of the music. She used other tools to assist with her vision but they were difficult to manage. We researched the possibility (through her aide) of having the method book enlarged. It was a successful attempt that made a huge difference.
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Ron Lambert Posts: 6
4/4/2017
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I have the pleasure of teaching a VI student in my Symphonic Band this year. He certainly fits the bill as having one sense take over in the absence of another! his ear is astounding, his curiosity is remarkable, and his hunger for knowledge exceeds most every student in the 81-piece group. He is more mature, respectful and grateful as well. He just marched in the Disney Fantasy Parade with my marching band, fulfilling a dream and no doubt securing his confidence. I find that teaching him is EASIER than most as well. he never hesitates to ask what he doesn't know and most importantly NEVER COMPLAINS! He is punctual and prepared. I wish I had a list of accommodations to share, but his parents appreciate that I TREAT HIM LIKE A STUDENT WITH NO ACCOMMODATIONS. I expect him to learn, process and perform at the level of the other students. I ask him to listen intently to music that we are working on on Google or YouTube, but that it is an expectation of all of the kids. The fact is, he runs laps around them. I'm blessed to be his teacher!
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William Ronald Lambert
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Chavis Cook Posts: 3
4/5/2017
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I taught a student with orthopedic impairments in a 6th grade choral ensemble. The current trend in teaching choral music is through full body movement. This student was unable to learn using this method because he did not have the same use of his body as other students.
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