12/21/2020
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Janani Shanmuga
|
During my 5 years so far teaching, I have had many students with various disabilities. One of these students had Spina Bifida. This was during my first year of teaching and putting on performances and concerts was already something that was new to me. I really had to carefully plan out how she would go on an off the stage and have someone to help her get into the position. She was more than willing to stand with the rest of the students during rehearsals in class but sometimes you could tell she was doing it just to not stick out. She wanted to take part in all the movement exercises we did in choir but I had to make modified versions of these or sometimes she had to do them from her seat. It was important for her not to feel left out, I could tell she had issues with that in the past. For the most part she willingly participated in modified versions of activities. |
12/21/2020
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Janani Shanmuga
|
One of the strategies I would implement in my classroom are mnemonic devices for remembering various musical concepts such as note names, key signatures, musical vocabulary, etc. I have showed students examples of these and encouraged them to come up with some on their own. I found out if they create their own, then they remember these concepts better. This is more helpful for students who have a hard time comprehending concepts but this can be beneficial for all learners.
Another strategy I often use are graphic organizers, this helps the students who need the visual aspect as well as students who need an aid to understand the content. Instead of asking students to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting two musical selections, I provide a Venn diagram for students to list the similarities and differences, which makes it much more visually appealing. |
12/21/2020
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Janani Shanmuga
|
One example of an adapted assessment I have successfully used in my classroom for students with disabilities is the option to write out note names, solfege of melodies, and rhythmic counts instead of producing them audibly. This has helped students who aren't able to sing different pitches or simply don't feel comfortable producing the sounds because of not understanding that part (pitch changing). This has not only helped students with disabilities, but it has helped all students. Students who may not be able to properly sing a melody by changing pitch can still show the mastery of the concept by writing out the solfege. This shows they are still able to determine if a melody goes up or down. |