3/6/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Sarah Baca
|
I have taught middle school band for 16 years and have had many students with disabilities. Most recently I had a student with a physical impairment. She was missing three fingers on her right hand. She was determined to play trumpet, so I let her try playing it with her left hand on the valves. After a week or two her success was not hindered due to her disability, we just realized the trumpet wasn't a good fit for her. She needed a larger mouthpiece to have a more successful buzz. She then tried the trombone which needed no adaptation on how she could hold and play the instrument. She is currently in high school playing to this day! |
3/12/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Sarah Baca
|
Mnemonics: I use these in a variety of ways. One being to teach the order of flats and sharps in the key signatures. BEAD Greatest Common Factor. When they memorize the flats, they can easily reverse for sharps.
Differentiated Assignments: I've rewritten music at varying levels according to my students' learning needs. For example, I had a clarinetist with a learning disability that hindered her from learning the written part scored as quickly as rest of the band. I wrote a simpler part to match the melody and countermelodies being performed by that section. This allowed that student to still perform the music with integrity while learning all the ensemble skills that come with performance. |
3/19/2023
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Sarah Baca
|
An adapted assessment I have used is exit cards. I have had students with disabilities that prevent them from wiring successfully in a short amount of time. I use Canvas as an accommodation for those students. They can type me a message at the end of class with more success than writing responses on an exit card. |