8/2/2018
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Oscar Vinson
|
I've had many students with varying levels of disability. One noteworthy example is of a student I had a few years ago who was highly functioning autistic. He is brilliant. His driving focus was guitar, and in my guitar class he was the most productive student I had that year. I had to convince him that reading music would speed up his ability to communicate with guitarists he wished to learn from. When he bought in, the sky was the limit. As a result, he would come to me on a weekly basis to show me his independent studies ranging from classical pieces to rock songs. |
8/2/2018
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Oscar Vinson
|
I had a student that due to a neurological disorder had issues with hand grip. I allowed this student to play an electric guitar instead of the usually mandated acoustic due to the lower string resistance/action. They were able to play significantly more than otherwise. While still limited, were granted the opportunity to bond with the instrument. |
8/2/2018
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Oscar Vinson
|
I had a student whose cognitive challenges limited their ability to read music. They worked hard and were able to process very basic rhythm and a narrow range of notes on the staff. Basic chords were not a problem. Assessing their playing assignments involved the modification of weighting chord passages more heavily as well as narrowing the range of notes known and rendering anything beyond into bonus territory that was met with high praise for success. |