Music for the Special Needs Child
“Some people think music education is a privi- lege, but I think it’s essential to being human,” Jewel.
This article addresses musical experiences for the self-contained special needs class. This self-contained classroom is for students with disabilities. The students are group according to classification and age level. An example would be a Cognitively Impaired class of stu- dents 5-7 years of age, or Kindergarten- First Grade. In addition, every class is unique in the range of the level of disability. The strategies and activities presented here may need to be adapted to your individual classroom needs.
Classifications of Special Needs Students Special Education covers at large variety of students. The self-contained classroom could have several different classifications within one setting. You will need to know what these mean. Every student classified as special edu- cation or special needs will have an Individual- ized Education Program on file that you can access. An Individualized Education Program or IEP is a written statement developed by a team of professionals that includes measurable annual and short term goals for the student with disabilities and the services that will be provided for that individual in support of the stated goals (Delfine, 2012).
Different classifications of special needs that may appear on a student’s IEP include: EI - Emotional Impairment
CI - Cognitive Impairment (Severe, Moderate or Mild) ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder OHI - Other Health Impairment POHI - Physical or Other Health Impairment ECDD -Early Childhood Developmental Delay SMI - Sever Multiple Impairment TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury DHH - Deaf and Hard of Hearing LD - Learning Disabled
Classroom Set Up It is important that you think of all of your 7
Maritsa Madias-Kalasz
students when organizing your classroom. An organized, attractive room with a clear seating arrangement, accessible instrument storage, space for movement, and a friendly teacher will create an engaging learning atmosphere. For special needs students, consider the location and accessibility of instruments. Be aware that too many colors and instruments can be over stimulating, especially for younger students. I have found that having a large fabric curtain over my instrument shelves has eliminated this problem. I have even covered my key- board instruments so they won’t be tempted to explore at the wrong time. Having the children gather on a large rug or in a semicircle keeps you close to all students. Paraprofessionals, teacher trained aides assigned to work with the special needs class, need to sit with the chil- dren and participate in the lesson and should feel welcome to do so. If you are going into the special needs classroom for music be sure there is a gathering spot for the children, a music source (CD player) and safe and secure space for movement.
Lesson Planning
When planning your lessons, prepare more ma- terial than your scheduled time may allow. This will give you extra material to pull from should some aspect of your lesson not be success- ful. Consistency is also a key element in your planning; develop a successful routine that the children come to expect. You can use cards to chart the sequence of your lesson for those students who use pictures for direction, ASD. Always begin and end your lessons with the same hello/goodbye activity; a song, poem, or a puppet greeting each child. If you are meet- ing in their self-contained classroom this serves as the signal that music time is about to begin.
(Delfine, 2012)
The concept of repetition is another neces- sary key to success when working with special needs students. When presenting music for the first time, immediately do it again. Within ev- ery lesson, repeat the familiar material before presenting any new material. Student attention spans and tolerance for a specific activity may
General Music
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