6/29/2018
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Tracy Torrance
|
A few years ago, one my 4thgrade students was hit by a car while crossing a busy street. Prior to the accident, he had been in the gifted program, very friendly and active. He was hospitalized for six months as he recovered from traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones and internal injuries. After leaving the hospital, he spent hours every day in painful physical therapy re-learning how to walk, feed himself, etc. When he finally returned to school, I was so excited to have him back in class as I had been his music teacher since Kindergarten and remembered how enthusiastic he was about music. I was aware of all the injuries and carefully prepared lesson plans for his physical and cognitive impairments. However, when he came to class for the first time, he wasn’t the same child I visited in the hospital just prior to his release.
Since the accident, he struggled with language, walked with a noticeable limp, and had lost the use of his right arm below the elbow. He had difficulty playing instruments as he had coordination issues and as his right hand was now paralyzed. He was also having difficulty matching pitch, which had not been an issue before. With these new challenges, his participation dropped. In order to compensate, he began to act like the class clown. This, to him, meant acceptance by his peers. I talked with his other teachers and we worked together as a team to help him re-channel his anger
By the end of the school year, his behavior and attitude had improved. He still had moments of frustration, but he began to participate in music more. Working with his OT was a great help. He showed me accommodations and modifications for this student to be successful. I worked with him and a few other boys before or after school on drumming and xylophone for coordination. He also joined the choir second semester to work on pitch matching and language issues. The best part was that many of the accommodations weren’t noticed by the other students, which made him feel like he wasn’t being singled out. |
3/26/2023
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Tracy Torrance
|
There are two concepts that I have used successfully in my classroom the last couple of years: Learning Contracts and technology. With intermediate elementary EBD students, I found that learning contracts work well. I work in conjunction with the classroom teachers to help minimize aggressive or defiant behaviors in both classrooms. If the student complies with classroom rules for the week, all three of us sign that week’s contract and the student earns a lesson of their choice: piano, drum, or voice. It’s a win-win for both sides – behaviors improve and their reward is music.
The second concept I’ve used is technology, specifically Teams and Canvas. My chorus meets once a week on Mondays, which is a common day for holidays, so we miss quite a few rehearsals. I have a few ADD as well as ASD students in this ensemble. To help them outside of class, I post recordings of the music (solo voice with piano playing in unison, accompaniment only, and full performance), pdf of music, and a lyric sheet. If the piece has more than one voice part, I highlight the parts in two different colors so the students know which line to follow. |
3/26/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Tracy Torrance
|
A former student had difficulty playing the xylophone due to gross motor skill issues. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t control the mallets. I tried a few different remedies, but nothing worked. As a last resort, I bought an inexpensive (but good) pair of mallets and cut off three inches. It worked! He was able to hit the bars with more accuracy (for the most part) and it improved his playing posture as well as his attitude in music. Where once he felt frustrated, he felt successful. |
3/26/2023
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Tracy Torrance
|
A few years ago, I had an ASD student with praxis. He loved to sing and had a good voice. However, when we worked on solfeggio he would get very frustrated because he struggled with the hand signs. He could demonstrate them slowly one at a time, but became angry if he “messed up.” He also was diagnosed with OCD and would insist on starting over again instead of continuing where he left off. I knew he could sing the scale correctly in solfeggio, so instead of having him physically do the hand signs, I gave him a stack of magnets with the hand signs on them and asked him to put them on the white board in order. After he did that (correctly, I might add), asked him to sing the scale (ascending and descending) and point to the correct hand sign as he sang. He could also follow my hand signs singing the correct pitch. Amazing kid! |
3/26/2023
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Tracy Torrance
|
There are two concepts or tools that I have used successfully in my classroom the last couple of years: learning contracts and technology. With intermediate elementary EBD students, I found learning contracts work well. I work in conjunction with the classroom teachers to help minimize aggressive or defiant behaviors in both classrooms. If the student complies with classroom rules for the week and completes assigned work, all three of us sign that week’s contract and the student earns a lesson of their choice: piano, drum, or voice. It’s a win-win for both sides – behaviors improve and their reward is music.
The second concept I’ve used is technology, specifically Teams and Canvas. My chorus meets once a week on Mondays, which is a common day for holidays, so we miss quite a few rehearsals. I have a few ADD as well as ASD students in this ensemble. To help them outside of class, I post recordings of the music (solo voice with piano playing in unison, accompaniment only, and full performance), pdf of music, and a lyric sheet. If the piece has more than one voice part, I highlight the parts in two different colors so the students know which line to follow. |