2. Broad Personal Goal: Share my experience teaching basic ... · 2. Broad Personal Goal: Share my experience teaching basic musicianship to students with learning differences. 3

1. Welcome & Session Explanation1. Sound Check, Material Check2. Broad Personal Goal: Share my experience teaching basic musicianship to

students with learning differences. 3. Title: Divine Design= After 6 long years of building a program this year

feels like it’s been sent from heaven!Rich – in the quality of the musical experience provided to the

students

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1. Graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University 2. 6 years experience at Lawrence School building a music program specifically for

students with learning differences.



1. Lawrence School1. Sagamore Hills. Suburb between Cleveland and Akron, S-Wayne County E-

Sandusky W-Lake & Geauga2. School for students who are cognitively average to above average with one or

several learning disabilities3. Language Based Learning Disabilities, Executive Function and SLD in specific

content areas or tasks4. Student population of Lawrence contains:

1. students with undiagnosed learning disabilities (even if already diagnosed with one)

2. students on IEP’s or 504 plans3. students who are twice exceptional4. students who want to learn5. students with untapped potential in music and the performing arts

2. Started the program from scratch, no model other than my own experience and training

3. Early on: Realization that my students had potential, had a challenging educational past, limited musical experiences & limited successes, and that they perceived music differently.

4. Over my years, tried many things, made many guesses, some right, some wrong or that required further review and editing. HOWEVER, key to more frequent success was a willingness to be reflective and let my students show me how they learned best.





The challenge in providing authentic musical experiences to students with learning differences are the supports that area needed to get them there.



1. Review Agenda & Goals (Agenda & Goals Slide)1. Agenda:

1. Understanding students with learning differences in the context of authentic musical experiences

2. Understanding authentic musical experiences in the context of students with learning differences

3. Curriculum Structure, Instruction and Interventions & Accommodations for students with learning differences in the music classroom

4. Questions & Survey 2. Goals:

1. To share my experiences developing a music program, curriculum and instructional techniques adapted for students with learning differences.

2. Participants leave with a positive perspective on educating students with learning differences.

3. Participants leave with something concrete to try in the classroom to support authentic participation in music.

2. Explain Technology: Today’s Meet (Today’s Meet Address & Instructions)





1. Evidence: (include photos on slide(s)) – Should I show video clips? 1. Choral Program: growth from 6 to 34 over 5 years (pictures & audio clips)2. Choral Program: 3 45 min concerts per year including commencement 3. Musical: 5 full musicals with cast of 40+ (recording from rehearsal)4. Expanded Course Offerings: Guitar & Music Appreciation Course5. Fringe Benefits: All student technical crews, Intro to Theater Course,

Music Minors, Music Scholarships, and Participation in musical experiences outside of school, CYOC, youth theater, and 2 music and theater majors.

6. General Music (MS): Bi-Weekly Authentic Musical Performances, Improvement of basic musicianship over 18 wk period, improved attitude towards musical performance and participation









Share audio from Musical Rehearsal



1. Why I feel it’s important to give you a comprehensive profile of these students:

1. so many unidentified2. may appear to be general underachievers or mistakenly self-select

out of participation in music (prior unsuccessful musical experiences)

3. may appear to be poor candidates for a music program (behavior concern or limited skills due to limited musical experiences)

4. academic needs and supports may exclude them from participation in music programs

5. great diversity among this group of students



Student Profile: 1.Profile # 1: ADHD/Executive Function(Working Memory)/Slow(er) Processing Speed

Executive Function helps us connect past experience to present action, supports planning, organizing, strategizing, managing materials, recalling specific details and paying attention. Processing Speed: The rate at which your brain processes information, in and out.

a.What you see:i.does not appear to be paying attention/participating fullyii.disorganizediii.slow to or avoids ask/answer questionsiv.guessing when answer questions, frequent off topic commentsv.appears to be participating but is unsuccessful when assessed

b.Impact on Musical Learning:i.Challenges related to :

1.following practicing routine independently2.struggles to retain musical vocabulary, can recall function and/or application (note names vs/ note values)3.overstimulation situations in music (written music, dense textures/busy arrangements)4.picking up nuanced details, making changes quickly

ii.Strengths:1.can recall function and/or application over vocabulary2.outstanding long-term memory for high-repetition material3.intelligent and curious



Profile # 2: Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)/Language Based Learning Disability (Similar to Profile #1)

Includes: Dyslexia: effects, reading, writing, spelling, speakingDysgraphia: effects with handwriting & spellingDyspraxia: effects hand eye-coordination, dexterityDysphasia: effects understanding spoken language, reading comprehensionAuditory/Visual Processing Disorder: effects differentiating between sounds and visual information

What you see: (similar to profile #1)overall the student excelsskill deficits are specific but their impacts may reach into many taskshigh levels of frustration or quick to give upassertions that they “just aren’t good at it”

Impact on Musical Learning: Challenges related to:

reading notation (tracking & what to follow in a sea of visual information)attaching meaning to notationmusical vocabularyin very few: issues with pitch perception or instrumental technique related to coordination/dexterity

Strengths: memoryfast processingmaking connections

working independently



Profile # 3: Aspergers/Twice Exceptional What you see: (similar to profile #2)

student excels academicallywithdrawn sociallystruggles with verbal communicationhighly literalmentally rigidfrustration with and fixation on mistakes

Impact on Musical Learning:Challenges with:

learning new music (change)expressive musical performance (everything must be marked)improving through practice, individual or group (fixation on errors)

Strengths:instrumental techniqueperforming written musicexceptional with memorization making connections



Profile # 4: Undiagnosed Just because students aren’t diagnosed with a learning disability doesn’t mean that they do not have one.

What you see: variesImpact on Musical Learning: variesChallenges & Strengths: varies, don’t all have them?

Common reasons students aren’t diagnosed: parents don’t want students labeled, limited district resources to evaluate, students don’t excel but aren’t failing, generalized belief that they are lazy, attribution to behavior, emotional or concerns from home.

Final Points:-Students with all of these profiles are not staying in our programs, contributing to lower numbers, fewer enthusiastic participants and missed opportunities to positively impact the life of a student who struggles in school



Once daily for 50 minutes



Have you ever thought about it like this? Your level of success or failure making music depends on understanding these concepts and have these skills.

Students with learning differences are twice disadvantaged: - Lack of consistent or positive musical experiences- Musical participation targets the weaknesses from their learning differences.

Support is needed and then authentic musical experiences are possible!





1. Guided Discovery Learning: Ask specific questions about a particular concept to see how students view this concept (ex. Decoding rhythms, Musical roadmapping – finding the beat in written music) (Go to next two slides, rhythms then roadmap)

2. Bridging Gaps & Making Connections: •break procedures and concepts down to the bare bones and build them back up step by step (ex. Steady beat reinforced throughout entire curriculum, finger at a time bass, chords, power chords, barred chords, 1slide – counting rhythm 3 slides ahread – Lead Sheet/Green Card•explicitly guide students through connecting visual information to verbal explanation to kinesthetic experience to aural stimuli (beat work in drum unit and transition to written music, “The beat is not written?!”, 2 slides – Roadmap 3 slides ahread – Lead Sheet/Green Card, 4 slides, keyboard guide•explicitly guide students through step by step procedures (build-a-band directions) 3 slides- band directions•frequent formative assessment:

•ensures that you have not lost the students•helps isolate any conceptual disconnects you may have missed

•provide supports (interventions and accommodations) during independent work refer to all interventions (next 4 slides)•small bites, high repetition and daily success of any size refer to all interventions (next 4 slides) Counting formulas, word wall, no b’s/#’s•transition through review•streamline objectives, essential elements only (#’s/b’s example, note durations and note names)

Interventions, Accommodations & Modificationsremove the barriers to making music by reducing the cognitive demand

support students learning at their own paceprovide support from one day to the nextsupport learning of an authentic piece of music rather than isolated exercises















The challenge in providing authentic musical experiences to students with learning differences are the supports that area needed to get them there.







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2. Broad Personal Goal: Share my experience teaching basic ... · 2. Broad Personal Goal: Share my experience teaching basic musicianship to students with learning differences. 3