Success Music Studio

Special Needs

 

adapted music lessons

 

 

Looking for information on special needs music lessons? The Successful Music Student blog archive contains posts about teaching special needs music.

Special Needs

 

Catchall Term

The name special needs functions as a catchall term. The name says it all. Special needs students have special needs above and beyond the typical learner student. This can include students with:

 

They are all Different

Beyond the common factor that all these students have special requirements, they all relate to the world around them in diverse ways. They sometimes:

  • learn differently
  • socialize differently
  • act differently
  • move differently
  • converse differently
  • need adapted gear or learning supplies

 

This means that students need to be met where they are at, and the teaching process needs to be tailored to them.

 

This does not mean that they will all learn, socialize, act, move, or converse in the same ways. Two students with special needs can be vastly different from each other. Even two students with the same diagnosis can be extremely different from each other.

 

OR two students may have similar traits, even with different diagnoses. It really depends on the student what you get.

 

Some students will socialize fine, but have problems with reading, math, or writing. Other students have no problems learning in school, but will find socializing difficult.

 

Still others will be fine with learning and socializing. Nevertheless, they will need a wheelchair or have issues with muscle strength or coordination. Some students may have problems saying words clearly or need a talker. However, they have no problems with any of the issues mentioned earlier. Finally, some students may have aspects of many or all of these issues blended together.

 

This makes teaching a challenge. Yet, it is a challenge worth taking up. Also, with multisensory teaching methods, you can win the challenge, and the student can learn.

 

© 2021 Geoffrey Keith

 

Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page

 

Color Coding Musical Accents - writing well crafted songs - Picture of Sheet Music on a Piano - Do My Hands' Sizes Affect Learning Performance on the Piano - Teaching Music Teachers - Vintage Sheet Music - What Purpose Do Accidentals Serve in Reading Sheet Music - What Does it Mean for Me to Interpret a Piece of Music - Is Playing the Piano a Suitable Activity for Autistic People - How Long Do You Take to Memorize a Piece of Piano Music

Color Coding Musical Accents Using the Shape Note Advantage for Accurate Special Needs and LD Performance

We approach accents differently than other types of articulations. It is not just about using color to make the accents pop off the page. Using shapes creates a guide for when to play louder. Consequently, for accents we take our example from shape notes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking - Man Plucking the Guitar

How to Color Code Music to Get LD Students to Perform Accurate Alternate Picking

Even among typical learners, students find alternate picking and strumming challenging. It is one of the few color-coding strategies I use with every student. Using color-coded arrows as a guide to alternate picking effectively shows students how to accurately execute the picking patterns. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.