Maintaining Our Proud History of Teaching Music to Students with Disabilities (original) (raw)
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The Perspectives of Educators About Using Music with Students with Disabilities
المجلة العلمیة لجمعیة امسیا – التربیة عن طریق الفن, 2019
The goal of this study was to explore the need of using music with students with disabilities to improve their skills. In order to address the issue of lack of research about music education in Kuwait for students with disabilities, the current study proposed to investigate teacher perceptions on two major questions: (a) How is music education used with students with disabilities in elementary classrooms and (b) What are the perceptions of teachers toward using music education with students with disability in elementary classrooms? This study was significant for two reasons. First, the current literature regarding music programs for students with disabilities in the regular classrooms in Kuwait's schools was lacking in providing enough information for researchers and educators to build on. Second, there was a severe need to improve the current programs to increase the performance of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. There were three participants in this study. One special education teacher and two music teachers from different Kuwaiti schools were interviewed about using music with students with disabilities in the classroom. Results showed that all the participants had a positive impression about using music with special needs and felt that music was very helpful in increasing the performance and behavior skills of students with disabilities. Participants asked to be given more information about using music and having enough musical instruments and training from the Ministry of Education in Kuwait.
Equity in Music Education: Being “Schooled” on Disability
Music Educators Journal
Being "Schooled" on Disability things, but he gradually found his groove from warm-ups to repertoire. As was true of many of the young men who were in middle school choir, I didn't know from one day to the next where his voice would land, and neither did Kevin, but believe me, he was stoked when his voice started getting lower-he was loud. Matching pitches was never Kevin's strong suit, but then, for many of us, in-tune signing can be an aural game of hide and seek. But he had an excellent ear from his years of listening to music on his own: If one of us missed a pitch, rhythm, or part of the text, Kevin was sure to let us know.
Disability As Disruption in Music Education
The Sage handbook of school music education, 2024
Disability as an identity and/or lived experience is a way of being diverse, but disability itself is diverse, too. The implications of this reality are manifold for the field of music education and amplified by the fact that the global population of disabled persons/persons with disabilities is estimated to be over 15%, which is more than one billion people. In this chapter we discuss how normative practices of music education impact disabled persons/persons with disabilities in both school and community contexts and examine the complexities of how and why pedagogical practices can be inclusive or exclusive for a given learner. Using a narrative approach, we tell the stories of a learner named Ray as they encounter different music learning contexts throughout their lifespan. First, we open with Ray experiencing the “norm” in school and community music learning settings to identify issues. Following, we offer a commentary of Ray’s experiences as a disabled person/person with a disability with regard to (1) diversity (of approach, perception, and pedagogy), (2) access (to instruction, to experiences, to instruments/tools), and (3) equity (the monetary, personal, and social costs of music learning). Drawing on key concepts from the field of Disability Studies, we discuss how Ray’s bodymind disrupts normative music education practices, thereby identifying engrained ableist practices that need to be unlearned. Furthermore, we advocate for re-learning by reorienting to a disability-centered approach that recognizes, values, and honors disability epistemology. Finally, we conclude with a vision of what a more just music education world might look like for Ray, but with the caveat that what is right for Ray may not be for others because disability is diverse and therefore the work of inclusion is always incomplete.
As music educators are faced with an increasing number of students with various exceptionalities, their ability to differentiate instruction for those with special needs becomes paramount. The purpose of this survey was to investigate how music teacher preparation programs addressed the topic of differentiation for exceptional populations at the undergraduate level. Specifically, the survey asked if NASMaccredited universities that granted doctoral or master's degrees in music education (a) required a course, (b) offered a course, or (c) in some other significant way systematically addressed the topic of teaching music to special populations. A link to a brief online survey was e-mailed to representatives of 212 institutions. Of 109 respondents, 29.6% required a course in teaching music to special populations, 38.9% indicated that this type of course was available, and 59.8% reported purposefully integrating the teaching of exceptional populations throughout their coursework. Respondent comments led to further literature review and discussion of the lack of consistent instruction with regard to this topic in undergraduate music education programs.
Educational Supports for Students With Special Needs: Preservice Music Educators' Perceptions
Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 2012
Historically, music educators have expressed concerns about inadequate preparation to work with students with special needs, specifically desiring skills related to instruction adaptation. Research has indicated that educational supports (written words, color coding, icons, echoing, buddy system, and other visual aids) can be particularly successful for teaching students with special needs. To determine if preservice music teachers can employ these supports and determine which are most beneficial in various music settings, preservice music educators (N = 47) completed a 5-week field experience in which they taught general music concepts to secondary students with special needs incorporating educational supports. Participants rated the educational supports of echoing and icons most important when leading various activities to teach concepts in general music and predicted that the educational supports of echoing and other visual aids would be most important when teaching in various ensembles settings. For implementing assessments, participants rated icons and small groups or stations most important. Implications for preservice and in-service teachers are discussed.
Inclusion of children with special needs through music in Arts education programs
Abstracts Book of the 4th World Conference on Qualitative Research, 2019
In order to contribute to the Inclusive Education of Children with Special Needs in Specialized Artistic Education, in 2018 an action-research project was started to change the practices of promoting inclusion. To this end, a short-term training course was held to learn about the real needs and difficulties experienced by professionals involved in the educational and rehabilitation processes of students with Special Needs and to provide teachers in training with specific tools and knowledge to teach music to students with special needs. Once the training was completed, a questionnaire with semi-open questions prepared and validated for the occasion was applied to the 60 participants of the training. The present work reveals the results of this questionnaire, whose answers were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis.
INCLUSIVE MUSIC EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
AD ALTA, 2024
This research explores the impact of musical activities on at-risk children with special educational needs. The study uses qualitative research methods. The findings point to the inclusive potential of music education, especially for children with special educational needs, and highlight the benefits of music education. The research addresses communication barriers in music education and the need for specialized training of teachers. By presenting the positive results of including children with special educational needs in music education, the paper advocates for an inclusive educational model that values creativity and encourages equal access to the arts, emphasizing the essential role of music in education and its universal accessibility.