10/10/2017
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Jeneve Jarvis
|
A few years ago I had a student who was visually impaired who wanted to play an instrument. His parents did not want any parameters put on him in choosing his instrument. I would have steered him to trumpet or baritone so he could eventually use one hand to read Music in Braille but he opted for the trombone. Playing the trombone he had to use both hands all of the time. During the beginning band class I sat him with another student who was also learning the trombone. This student would touch his shoulder when the band stopped, started or to give him any other visual direction I might give. He also had recordings of everything we played in class. So, he was able to go home and review the material at home with the recording. He was fantastic! He stayed at the same pass as the class and would have gone on to be very successful. I started to look into the process of havin our music put into Braille for when the music became too difficult. However, he decided to stop playing in the band the next year, due to family issues. To this day I don't think that was the best decision because he really enjoyed music. |
10/16/2017
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Jeneve Jarvis
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I use tiered lessons in my band class all of the time. Students with exceptional skill on their instrument are selected to play the first parts, the more challenging parts in a piece of music. The students who may be struggling with the music would play the second or third parts in the Music. The parts can also be altered to cater to the strengths of the student who might be having difficulty.
Another common strategy frequently used in my classroom is utilizing peer partners. Peer partners are selected upon their complementary strengths and weaknesses. Bot students benefit from the arrangement. One student is gaining better understanding of a concept they might be struggling with and the other student is reviewing the material and gaining leadership skills. The partners can also meet before or after school to gain extra practice. |
10/16/2017
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Jeneve Jarvis
|
I had a student who had difficulty processing the written word in my middle school band. He was a very slow reader who also struggled with comprehension. When it was time for the class to take a written evaluation on Music theory. He went with a teacher assistant, who was able to read him the questions out loud and provide him with the extra time he needed to complete the test. |