6/12/2017
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
David Lawhead
|
A few years ago, I had a student in my choir with Intellectual Disabilities. He loved to sing and had a very nice singing voice but he was not always successful at singing the right pitch. He was very good at imitating but his reading skills were low so I learned that it was crucial where he was placed in his section. When I worked with him one on one he was accurate with some of his pitches. If I sang along with him he was not only accurate but totally awesome. If he sang next to a soprano, he would tend to wander to the soprano part almost unaware that he wasn't singing the right part. By placing him in the center of the bass section, everyone was happy. |
6/13/2017
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
David Lawhead
|
I had a student with very low reading skills who was having trouble matching pitch and following the music on the written page at the same time. He could match my voice but was not always in tune the first time. We loaded a keyboard app on his phone and worked from there, matching pitch. In a short time he was matching the pitch of the keyboard easily and then recognized when he was out of tune. We also used the interval trainer at musictheory.org. Then we recorded his tenor parts onto his phone. He was able to follow the written score and then practice his part after school. Once he was familiar with his part the written score was much easier to follow. At the beginning of the semester he would have no idea what page we were singing at any given moment. By the end he was a strong contributor of the tenor section and tracking each measure correctly. |
6/13/2017
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
David Lawhead
|
While teaching elementary music I had a child who was D/HH. During my on going assessments, while assessing steady beat, I allowed her to sit on a speaker to perform a steady beat. By sitting on the speaker she was able to feel the pulse and perform a steady pattern with the music. |
5/25/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
David Lawhead
|
I had a student with a hearing impairment. She didn't tell me about this until about half way through the year. I was listening to singers and moving them around to different areas of the rehearsal room. This student had a very nice tone and great pitch normally. When I moved her to a new position I noticed a difference. She told me after class that she could not hear in her right ear. After that, I made sure that she was placed where she felt comfortable and successful. |
6/9/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
David Lawhead
|
I have a student with a hearing disability in the chorus. She is high functioning and very talented. Before I knew of her disability I moved singers around to different chairs and I noticed that her success decreased immediately. After a private conversation, she was happy to share with me that she had one "good ear", as she called it, and felt much more successful when she could sit on the end. From that point on, I made sure that her "good ear" was always toward the rest of the choir. |
6/13/2022
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
David Lawhead
|
I had a student with cerebral palsy. She was very intelligent but her response to music was not always accurate because of her disability. Music brought her so much joy that her body would sometimes respond in unpredictable ways. Her right hand was her preferred hand so I would always hand her a mallet in her right hand. She was more successful at striking a single tone chime rather than a Glock or xylophone. If we used the larger instruments, which she loved, she couldn't reach them in her chair so an assistant would move her to the instrument and steady her as she played. Removing extra bars and keeping only the ones she needed always helped her accuracy. |
6/14/2022
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
David Lawhead
|
I have a student with an IEP that exhibits some autistic tendencies. He gets very concerned if we change the routine. I could see his concern as I mentioned an upcoming test. So to prepare for the assessment we talked about it weeks ahead of time and practiced some questions so he would be familiar with the format. During the test, I was available and nearby in case he had any questions. Students were allowed to leave the room after the test so as students were leaving I reassured him that he had plenty of time and there was no need to rush. He took about 30 minutes extra to finish. The setting was also considered. His computer was close to my desk and his back was to other students. The class wore headphones for most of the test and he decided to leave his on until he finished. He seemed very proud to have finished a test that gave him initial concern. |