If you are not sure if your child is ready to take music lessons, you can try the two-free-lessons promotional and find out if adapted music lessons will be right for your child.
Alternately, for students with developmental delays, you can try out Pamela Ott’s book, Music for Special Kids. Most of the book deals with music therapy activities that parents can do with their children. However, chapters 3, 6, and 9 discuss strategies for teaching music to special needs children.
In her own words, “When I began working with special needs children, I introduced them to rhythm primarily through auditory exercises…
“My goal was to use music to work on non-musical objectives and in the process many of them began to learn note names and notated rhythm” (115). Music For Special Kids’ chapters are fairly basic. Yet, they can give you enough of a start to see if your child is ready for adapted music lessons with a teacher.
If adapted music lessons are not appropriate for your child, then you might consider music therapy instead. Having fun and self expression can be goals of a music therapy session.
References
Brunk, Betsy King. Music Therapy: Another Path to Learning and Communication for Children in the Autism Spectrum. Arlington: Future Horizons, 1999.
Ott, Pamela. Music for Special Kids. London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2011.
© 2020 Geoffrey Keith