Chapter 7 of Hourigan's "Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs"
More and more in today’s school ensembles, students with special needs are involved in the performing side of the ensemble. This means that directors need to reexamine their teaching and conducting styles and see how they can make adjustments to students with special needs.
From the get go, there are less special needs students in the performing ensembles because the directors put of road blocks that keep them from entering with the director even meaning to do so. The first one is the fact that in most schools, students have to enter band, choir, or strings in 5th grade and cannot enter at any other time. But most special needs students are ready to enter a performing ensemble at that age. Another road block that directors put up is that idea of putting kids in the spotlight and exposing them through auditions, playing tests, and informal demonstrations. These ways of singling the student out make the special needs student feel like they are not able to keep up with them. It is a constant reminder to them of their abilities compared to the other abilities in the classroom.
When the director starts to plan their curriculum for the special needs students in the classroom, “ground zero” is the IEP or 504 Plan meetings for the students. The director can get a feel of how the student learns and operates within a classroom. They will also get to know the student better in the process. And if the teacher cannot go to the meeting, it is the law to read the IEP or 504 Plan.
The teacher needs to also seek out information about the disabilities of the students, along with reading the IEP or 504 Plan. There are tons of resources out there that the music educator can read and learn from. It will help them in with the planning process of the classroom with students with special needs.
When a music educator is actually teaching a student with special needs, they must remember that they need to be an expert of the musical content and concepts of the classroom. They just need to be willing to be creative in presenting the information to students with special needs. It may take another look at the score or concept before the teacher figures out a way of presenting the information in an affective way for the student with special needs, but the teacher must have a sincere attitude to try and find a way.
The most important thing, in my opinion of the chapter is the fact that the music educator must make sure that the participation of the student with special needs is meaningful. It is not just “busy work” as I would put it to keep him or her out of the way of the ensemble. They must be creating meaningful music, even if it is different from the music of the other students. If the student is not contributing musically to the ensemble, they will know it! It is up to the director to make sure that they have an equal contribution to the ensemble as everyone else.
I honestly think that is the most important part of the whole chapter because I think that is what the job of the music educator is. All students should be involved in the music making of the ensemble. It will take a little extra work from the conductor, but the students with special needs can be taught, but it maybe in a different way. But in the end, they can make a meaningful contribution to the ensemble and feel good about their process in the end. It is just up to the music educator on whether he or she is willing to put in the extra effort and time make sure that actually happens.