5/28/2023
Topic:
Students With Disabilities
Catrinel Sandu
|
In my ballet class, I have had several students with hearing disabilities. Most have some type of electronic hearing "aid". The problem is that those devices are tuned for speech frequencies, and often fail to provide good music feedback for my dancers.
One solution that has sometimes worked is that the students turn off or remove their devices, and I increase the bass output for songs selected with strong basslines. That can allow the students to literally feel the beat and be able to move in time with the class. |
5/28/2023
Topic:
Tools And Strategies
Catrinel Sandu
|
Option 2: Using technology to help teaching students with auditory disabilities
For my hearing impaired students, I had our av staff install a dedicated subwoofer in our classroom/studio. Then, I had our music department use audio editing software to either emphasize or add very low frequency sounds on beat to select songs we learn and perform ballet movements to.
This allows my students whose hearing aid devices that don't transmit the music well to be able to "feel" the basic beat of the song and be able to perform in synchrony with the whole class. |
5/28/2023
Topic:
Assessment Of Learning
Catrinel Sandu
|
When working with students that have dyslexia or some form of disability that affects their reading or writing skills, I simply provide an oral assessment rather than a written one. For example, I often have "pre-work" vocabulary quizzes to find out if everyone is understands the French ballet terms we will be using in the lesson for the day. When a class has dyslexic students, I will instead ask students what the words mean, and pay close attention to make sure they are understanding. |