WSMA board perspective
Everyone Has a Voice With Music Doug Arendt, WSMA Board Member
W
When “Jonathan” comes into choir, he invariably is enthused at the prospect of spending a class period in choir. He obediently grabs the folder he shares with his partner and takes his position on the second riser in front of me.
Jonathan doesn’t always remember to stand to do our choir warm-ups. It isn’t that he doesn’t necessarily want to, he just doesn’t understand the pattern or routine of our class. He may at some point, but for now, he doesn’t. Typically, all it takes is a subtle gesture – from either myself or one of his classmates – and he soon joins the rest of the choir. In the first quarter of class, he’s become much more adept at modeling what the rest of the choir is doing around him.
While he doesn’t always sing each piece, Jonathan is attentive. He may sometimes sing, he may sometimes hum. To his great delight, Jonathan found out during one of our exercises that he’s quite adept at matching pitch, which is a talent he never knew he had.
At our first concert, Jonathan stood proud- ly in a new white shirt and dress pants. His concert etiquette was exceptional, and he participated to the best of his abilities for the entire concert. Afterward, he brought his mother over to take a photo with me.
Jonathan is one of my intellectual dis- ability (ID) students this year, and he’s a proud member of the John Long Middle School Choir program.
As music teachers, we offer our students an environment where inclusivity should not be the exception, but the norm. Ac- cording to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, as of October 2015, 8,283 students have been identified as ID. Choir programs, and music programs in general, offer an opportunity not only to enrich these students’ educational experi- ences, but also our programs.
8
I’ve welcomed ID students into my class with one expectation: That they will par- ticipate to the extent that they are capable of doing so. I ask no more and no less of them. My role is to give them the op- portunity to experience music in an open and accepting environment. Sometimes this means thinking out of the proverbial box to provide them with an adaptive experience:
• A student who was born without a fully formed left hand was inter- ested in trying guitar. After talking with her, it was clear she lacked the capacity to press the individual strings holding the guitar in a stan- dard manner. However, she could use her left hand to strum. The solution? I strung the guitar upside down and used her fully function- ing right hand to form the chords.
• A motorized-wheelchair bound student wanted to participate in extracurricular activities, including not only honors choir programming but also our school musical. Rather than relegating him to the back row during a dance number, we con- ferred with the choreographer who integrated the student. He not only “danced” on stage with the rest of the cast, but the dancers formed two rings around him while he spun his chair in the center. It was a highlight of the show.
• A severely ID student who relied on an aide throughout the day expressed positive reactions when music was played. While she was unable to participate in our choral program, she was able to join a music class. Her physical limita- tions prevented her from using a keyboard or instruments, however, with the use of headphones and her aide who was willing to perform the keyboard exercises, she was able to experience the same lessons as her peers in the classroom.
The key to providing a successful experi- ence, for both the class and the student, is to understand that inclusivity doesn’t come with across-the-board outcomes. Students as a rule, understand their inte- grated peers often participate on different levels and are among their biggest cheer- leaders, celebrating their achievements with them.
Special needs students should be given the opportunity to experience music and achieve to their level. This not only exposes them to the rich experience that music offers, but also provides a positive experience with multiple benefits:
• An opportunity to model positive student behavior in a close setting with peers, without desks or other physical barriers found in a more academic setting.
• The ability to interact with their peers in a group setting. Many special need students spend the ma- jority of their time with an aide or in a specialized classroom.
• The opportunity to physically ex- perience learning, to the extent that they are able to. Musical concepts, from dynamics to rhythm, utilize parts of their bodies that they don’t use in academic disciplines.
• The ability to perform, both in front of their peers and in concerts, which builds self-confidence and self-worth.
Inclusivity in the music/choral classroom is not about saying “no.” It’s about saying, “Yes, what can you do?” As music/choral teachers, it’s our role to act as a guide for those students on their musical adventures. The experience is nearly always positive, often surprising and very rewarding for everyone.
Doug Arendt is associate principal at John Long Middle School in Grafton. Email:
darendt@grafton.k12.wi.us
January 2018
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
