Interview with Gwen Gates

Music Therapy major at Utah State

What ways can you use music therapy to help people with disabilities?

I had a practicum in special education class. I was working with a student who was on the Autism spectrum, he has a hard time making decisions and expressing himself. We had a story time and music activity then presented a table with different instruments. He got to pick up an instrument and say what he thought of and what kind of animal it sounded like. He had to think for himself and express himself. As we did this more he more readily answered questions.

Another boy I worked with had a Traumatic Brain Injury when he was four. He struggled to count and say phonograms. For an activity we made a song with the phonograms he was trying to learn, he would have to repeat the sounds before we could go onto the next part of the song until he had said the first phonograms. For counting we put numbers of the floor and played musical chairs, whatever he stopped on a number he had to pick up an instrument and played it however many times the number said.

I have heard of people using instruments for movement, like lift your knee up high enough to hit a drum or stretch fingers enough to reach a 5^th on the piano.

Music Therapy

Information adapted from http://www.brighthubeducation.com

"While a music curriculum is a valuable school discipline by itself, the feeling, visuals, movement and listening it promotes, fosters psychomotor skills and sensory perception. Singing might trigger conversation, thoughts and feelings for a normally inarticulate child, in addition to help with breathing. Music advances developmental skills for cognitive, affective and psychomotor functions. These are fundamental to master basics in all other academic subjects.

The Role of Music in the Education of Special Learners observes: “Unlike activities dependent on verbal interaction, music rarely fails to communicate with every child.” Music teachers must adapt their curriculum, materials and activities to enhance individual performance and encourage at least partial participation in class. Use instruction to supplement basic skills development with an alternate means of reinforcement and refinement. Due to the resourceful and flexible aspects of music, even a single activity allows children of varying abilities to take part."

• What is Music Therapy?

  Music therapy is the use of music in a way that will be beneficial to the child. It is the art of using music to achieve the goals that have already been set for the child with special needs. It can be used to achieve a wide variety of goals including social, language, physical, cognitive and emotional. This article helps us to understand more about music therapy and special needs children. It describes a few ideas for using music therapy to teach and help a child develop.

• Music Therapy In The Classroom

  Just playing some music is not music therapy. We need to first know what the child’s goals are in the area that you plan to work. Next we decide on one goal that we are going to achieve through music therapy. Then we choose a song/ CD/ collection of music that we can use to teach that goal. We may also need additional learning materials that we will use to teach.

• Movement and Music

  Movement and music is the most commonly used type of music therapy. Use music to help the children learn and practice different movements. You can use action songs in which the child does different actions. Or you could just play some music and encourage the children to be free and dance. Encourage children to move and dance even if they can’t stand on their feet. You can also use music to teach children to listen and follow commands. One such game is when you get the children to march with the beat. Pick a variety of music and keep changing it. Another game is where you tell the children that they should run fast in their place when the music is loud and slowly when the music is soft. Keep changing the volume and watch the kids have fun.
  

• Music for Learning and Teaching

  Music can also be used for teaching various concepts. All children and especially children with special needs learn better when we use multi sensory techniques. Using music can help children with learning needs be more interested, as well as understand and remember better. Here are some music therapy activities:
  Teach Left and Right: Make the child hold two different sounding rattles in the left and right hand. When you say left, help the child shake the left hand and when you say right, help the child shake their right hand.
  Up and Down: Make up a simple song that goes “let’s go up, up, up, up, up.. Let’s go down, down, down”. Help the child hold a long stick with both the hands. Help the child lift the stick up as you sing up, and bring it down as you sing down.
  Teach Shapes: Here’s a game to help children learn shapes through music. Draw different shapes on the ground. Get the children to run around and dance when the music is playing. When the music stops, call out the name of a shape. All the children must go and stand on that shape.
  These are just some ideas to get you started. In this manner, use music in a variety of ways to teach skills.

• Music to Teach Social Skills and Language:

  Here are some music therapy activities that will help a child develop social skills and language.
  Teach children to take turns: Give each child a different music instrument. Ask the children to play one at a time. This helps children understand that each of them needs to wait for their turn.
  Together and alone: Give each child a different musical instrument. Give instructions like “ Sandra, play alone” and “ Let’s all play together” . This will help the children to understand the concept of a group, as well as the part of each person in the group.
  New songs: Introduce your children to new songs with new words in them, this helps to improve vocabulary, and thus language.
  Songs with sounds: Teach children with language delay simple songs which have sounds like bow bow, ha ha ha etc. They will learn to say these sounds before they learn to speak words.
  Sometimes, children with physical disabilities have difficulty in using musical instruments. Adapting musical instruments will help them participate and learn.

• Music for Healing and Restoration

  Music therapy and special needs children are a perfect fit. Music can be used to calm a child who is upset or sad. It can be used for a child who needs to be in bed for a long time. It can be used for a child who is lonely. Physical therapy can be so much more bearable when there’s music playing. Each child may have special songs or a type of music which helps them calm and relax. Try to use the music that the child loves to hear. It might also be worth asking the parents if there’s a particular CD, or song that helps the child calm down and relax at home. Request one copy to keep and use at school.
  
  
  

Interview with Daryl Silberman, DLC teacher at West Salem High School

What does DLC stand for?

Developmental Learning Center.

What is the range of disabilities in the class you teach?

All of my students have some kind of severe cognitive disability. In addition to this a lot of the kids have another disability as well such as Down syndrome, autism, multiple sclerosis, and all sorts of stuff.

What kinds of instruments do they get to play?

It is all based on the skills and abilities of each individual student, we mainly use early childhood rhythm instruments. Higher functioning students can sometimes play on real instruments, touch the keys of a piano or the strings on a violin.

Everything we do is based on the foundations of music; loud and soft, fast and slow. We use our body to make music. We listen and sing, color to music, dance to music, sometimes we take field trips to the orchestra or choir and listen to them.

What types of adaptations are made for them to use the instruments?

A lot of my students have small hands so it is hard to hold instruments. There are always other adults in class room who help out, we do a lot of hand over hand assistance. The teacher will hold the instrument and let the student hit it so they are the ones making the music and experience it.

Do you have any specific activities that you do with them?

We do a lot of rhythm activities with claves (thicker and easier to hold than rhythm sticks with a more soothing sound). We will listen to a fast and slow song and use the claves to keep the beat, they have to listen to hear the difference in the speed of the song.

Another activity we do with the claves is to go around the room and everyone thinks of a different way to play the claves and shows everyone. They tap it on different parts of their body, hit it above their head, move it in circles without making any sound, anything they can think of. We also can play follow the leader where one student is the leader and picks a way to use the claves and everyone copies them.

 http://www.songsforteaching.net/keeping-childrens-attention-music-changing-tempo

Tips for teaching music lessons to students with Autism.

Adapted from www.music-for-music-teachers.com 



Music students with Autism can be taught in much the same way you would teach a typically developing child. Music can be a comfort to them, especially familiar music. They will typically need to be taught at a slower pace, allowing them plenty of time to learn new concepts. One teacher with a student with Autism said, "I have found that I can direct him to do something, but then I must wait for him to work it out...without interrupting his thinking with another comment. If I do interrupt, he may have to start the process over again almost from the beginning, typical for children with autism."

Teachers may have to change the way they teach, try not to be overenthusiastic, but rather calm and consistent. Learn what your student reacts best to. There are many sensory experiences involved with music, especially sound and touch. Students with Autism typically have problems counting, rather than counting 1-2-3-4 they may count 1-2....1-2...1,1,1-2. While this is common in many beginning students it is even more difficult for a child with Autism. Do not use a metronome or tapping to try to help your student keep time, this can be a distraction rather than an aid as it is adding yet another sound on top of the piano. You can try using the light setting on an electric metronome if they respond well to it or use visually cues by directing with your hands.

Use music that interests them! Do not feel like you have to stick to a set of books, learn what music the child likes, whether it is a song their mom sings to them, the theme from a favorite movie or video game, use familiar songs. Do not try to teach a simplified version of a song as a way of preparing for a more difficult version of the song, they will probably become fixated on the old version and not understand that the new version is different.

Common Difficulties
-Playing with someone (duet, trio).
-Playing in a group setting (orchestra, band).
-Performing for an audience.
-Tantrums.

TECHNIQUE
Technique encompasses posture, finger strength, and all technical skills needed to play a song.
-Review correct posture every lesson, use pictures in lesson books as a guide as well as modeling.
-Correct bad habits soon, as it is very hard to un-learn them.
-“Hammer scales.” avoid full octave scales when introducing scales. 1-1-1, 2-2-2, 3-3-3, 4-4-4, 5-5-5. Repetitive notes will help students learn finger numbers and practice timing without having to focus on finger number, timing, and changing note with every note.
- Putting hands together and learning rhythm scales will be much more difficult, review old techniques often to reinforce good habits.

THEORY
-This means, for the most part, understanding the scales and chords, how to make them, and how they work together. For beginners, chords are the most important as far as actually using them in music.
-Chords are very fun, and make piano music sound BIGGER. But teaching an autistic child, I'd stick with open 5ths for a long time. Not all teachers are comfortable teaching chords to their students until chords show up in their piano method book, and it is too bad, because playing with chords is a wonderful way to learn new music without having to ALWAYS be reading notes. Also, ease with chord-playing encourages experimentation, composition, and playing by ear!
-Simple songs such as Mary Had a Little Lamb can be dressed up. Chord-playing also makes it easy to turn simple melodies into duets. (For examples, see some of my Beginner Piano songs such as Yankee Doodle, Star of the County Down, and All the Pretty Little Horses.) In some songs, banging away at chords is a lot like whacking a drum -- very satisfying and stress-releasing! (My autistic student enjoys playing drums very much.)
-When teaching autistic children and young beginners, I would not venture past pentascales (5-note scales) for a very long time, not until the music they are playing seems to call for full scales. It is my opinion that every new concept must be justified by its usefulness right NOW, especially with students who move slowly and require much review.

NOTEREADING
Whichever method you decide upon, it should take a gradual approach to note-reading, but do not depend upon this book alone! Flashcards, games, drawing notes on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or paper... these are tools you will find useful.
Little by little, with many different means of reinforcement, notereading can be conquered.
I like the idea offered by one teacher working with autistic children: when the end of Lesson Book 1 (or the Primer) has been reached, start at the beginning of Book 1 (or Primer) of a different method!
It's good for music teachers to keep seeking fresh ideas and teaching tips for autistic children. Ideas that can be turned into simple games are a good way to keep hammering away at notereading.

REPERTOIRE
This is what your autistic student is really going to work at -- songs or musical pieces he likes a lot. These pieces may not ever be perfect, but he or she should keep this music "fresh," not forgetting how to play it. Having a collection of songs that are ready to play makes kids feel good about their ability.
My students choose a beautiful color of 8 1/2" by 11" cardstock paper to be their "Repertoire" sheet. Every time they learn a decent-sounding bit of music well enough for it to be considered potential recital music, we write it down on the Repertoire sheet. Only rarely does this music come from the Lesson Book, alas! Occasionally, it is music learned by rote, such as the chord pattern from The Pink Panther, or the 12-bar-blues. This music I TRY to have them play frequently, but too often I forget about it too!

Interview with Chelsie Dixon

When were you diagnosed with Dyslexia?

My Mom figured it out in 1^st or 2^nd grade. I have an older sister who is more sever and she wasn’t diagnosed until later. I’ve never been officially tested because my Mom didn’t want me labeled and put in the class with all the other special ed kids.

I remember a few years ago you had a lot of trouble taking your dictation tests, how did your Dyslexia affect that?

Something happens when your write, things are upside down, you read things backwards. It doesn’t come out right.

Do you ever hear the music wrong?

Not very often. It’s mostly writing it down wrong. I do hear it wrong sometimes so I have nothing to compare what I wrote to and I don’t know if I did it right.

How has Dyslexia affected your music in other areas?

It’s harder to learn music. My favorite lesson was when I wasn’t getting a rhythm right. My teacher said, “What’s wrong with you today, are you dyslexic or something?”

So I answered, “Yes, I am actually.”

“Oh, that makes sense, you’re playing it backwards.”

What do you have to do to make sure you play it right?

I have to go over it more slowly. The more stressed I am the more it happens. My teachers have made the tests available 2-3 days for me. If I’m having difficulty I have to stop and come back a few hours or even days later. I can’t just take a break and walk around the Snow building once, it has to be a few hours at least.

How would you want a teacher to teach a student with Dyslexia differently?

One on one, I know that music teachers can’t give all their time to their students. It would help to meet after school, during lunch, or during recess. Don’t keep them in the masses. They have to break things down and go more slow.