 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-10-01 08:55
Over the past 6 or 7 years, I've dealt with a few students who had learning disabilities. I am not trained for this, and in more than a few cases have not been notified early on of the problem.
Disabilities have included mild autism, visual orientation, obsessive/compulsive, sensitivity to blood sugar levels [sic] and the predictable onslaught of ADD/hyperactivity.
Instrumental music is no small task for the best endowed minds, so I have some fears about approaching it with LD's to cope with. But many parents seem to feel that it would be therapeutic for the child. I see mostly frustration.
Do any of you have successful strategies for dealing with the learning disabilities of your students, and is there research available in this subject area?
Allen Cole
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-10-01 09:44
You might want to get hold of a copy of The Psychology of Music, edited by Diana Deutsch. Section 17 may have some relevant information, and has a long list of references. However, its perspective is academic rather than practical, and the medical conditions it deals with may be rather more extreme than those you encounter.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-10-01 11:51
Teaching these kids can be a most rewarding experience for both of you, depending on how you handle it. The discipline of learning music will inevitably extend to other areas.
My youngest son has severe ADD (fortunately not with the hyperactivity, not ADHD). It was so severe that his Grade 2 teacher told me that she's never seen a child like him in the 25 years she taught up till then, and that I should take him to the doctor. Well we did, and found out why he could get lost in class. The teacher could easily forget he was there because he was so quiet - his thoughts would drift all over the map. We taught our kids by Canadian Correspondence Schooling while we lived in Central America for awhile, and guess who got to teach the two younger kids? His concentration would last probably about two seconds before his brain would drift. He needed medication in order to focus enough to get anything out of school - the meds had to be changed as needed over the years.
However, when it came to subjects that interested him, his concentration was intense. That caused one of his teachers to deny that he even had a medical condition; he thought my son was just lazy. But that's the nature of ADD. Fortunately music is one of these areas he loves. Just try to get him to stop practicing! His understanding of the tiny nuances of the playing and the feelings involved in the music is incredible. Out of all our kids, this is the one with whom I can have a deep conversation about music - the playing, the notation, etc. etc. (To illustrate, I was playing a CD of Cappricio Espagnol the other day when he came home, and his eyes popped open and he asked me what that was. Ah, it's nice to have another human being share my excitement about this stuff!) Oh, and he likes performance cars too, and can tell you more than you'd ever want to know about the detailing and engines.
So that's ADD - others can tell you about the other disabilities. But I can tell you that a great deal of patience is necessary as well as using lateral logic and creativity in your teaching methods. You may need to employ a lot more memorization and playing by ear instead of using the books first. They may respond to using body movements (i.e. dancing!) to catch the concept of rhythm. But definitely establish a dialogue with the parents to find out what they know about how the child learns best, and the provide them with feed-back about what you're discovering that really works with that individual. That will help the parents and by extension the child's school teachers.
If the child has a love for music, he or she will respond. That love of music would already have been demonstrated by how the child responded to music in their infancy. At least if you're always patient and maintain a good sense of humour the child will have positive memories about his music education that will last a lifetime. Hey, they may even buy subscriptions to the orchestra, especially if you always keep a copy of the newest season brochure on your music stand!
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2004-10-01 12:41
I had a private student that was having a really hard time with note reading. He could do everything else- it was just note reading he had issues with. I tried everything to help him and just didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. I told his mom about the problems, but she didn't offer up any information.
After fighting with this for who knows how long, I asked him if he had trouble reading books too. He said that yes, he did and (in a whisper) "I'm dyslexic and have to wear special glasses." I had never seen these glasses. We had a discussion about not being ashamed of being dyslexic and that he had to bring those glasses in. The next lesson, he did and his note reading improved dramatically. What kills me is that his mom KNEW he was dylexic, KNEW he was having issues and failed to tell me!!! GRRRRR... :(
I have thought about putting a note/clause/question in my private lesson contract to cover this issue. Something along the lines of "In order to best teach your child, does your child have any learning or behavior difficulties that I should know about?"
Even as a school music teacher, I am horrified by how many parents and classroom teachers fail to tell me about children who are LD or have behavioral disorders. It would be helpful because I could work with them on the best way to deal with these kids from the beginning, rather than having to figure it out by trial and error six months later.
Best of luck to you- I find the challenge not to be the kids, but the fact that I am just not knowledgable enough. (The classes I took concerning special ed dealt ONLY with major disablities- not the more common ADD, ADHD, dyslexia kind- so I feel completely unprepared when it comes to these common issues.)
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Author: pewd
Date: 2004-10-01 13:43
>as a school music teacher, I am horrified by how many parents and >classroom teachers fail to tell me about children who are LD or have >behavioral disorders.
happens to me all the time. the parents in some cases seem to ignore the issue, hoping it will go away. others assume the school shares the evaluation and counselling files with the private teachers (they dont of course). the private teacher seems to be the last person to be told about diagnosed learning issues.
i have several students with ADD. they seem to have memory problems, in addition to being unable to concentrate. after a year (or more) they still cant tell the difference between a whole and half note, or a b natural and a b flat. can't site read - have to memorize just about everything to get it right.
other than a ton of patience, i don't have a solution. they're always playing wrong notes, always 4-6 measures off from the rest of the kids in the band, etc.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-10-01 13:45
Alan - there are no failures.
If they want to do it than it is a very good thing to do. Great for their developing brain. ADHD kids often are really good at music too! And even if a student doesn't have a lick of talent or unable to achive high levels due to an LD, it's still a great activity for them.
Remember - it's all about the student, not the teacher.
Now granted there are various temperments for teachers and not every teacher is good for every student. But there are teachers for all students.
Post Edited (2004-10-01 13:46)
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-10-01 13:57
Brenda said "You may need to employ a lot more memorization and playing by ear instead of using the books first. They may respond to using body movements (i.e. dancing!) to catch the concept of rhythm. But definitely establish a dialogue with the parents to find out what they know about how the child learns best"
I only have had a few ADD students, but this sounds like good advice to me. I found that these students often responded to an interactive approach, an "I play, you play" type of teaching with small bits of a melody, where they had definite challenges reading and playing the whole piece the same way twice.
I think it is especially important with these students to recognize and build on the small successes that occur each lessson so that hopefully music will be an area of their lives that they will enjoy.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-10-01 17:38
Paul, After learning what I did about my son's condition and having lived with this for many years, I can say that the ADD kids really do remember what they've learned. Their problem is just getting the knowledge into their brain because of their lack of focus. I was told by my son's psychologist and found this to be true, that once something is learned it's remembered just as with a "normal" child. Sometimes the problem with memory recall is the same ADD, the lack of focus. Medication can help a great deal. My son tried for two unsuccessful years to finish high school without his meds, only to finally realize that he needed them if he was going to amount to anything. (How does a parent get an 18 yr.old to take his meds if he doesn't want to? He had to come to this realization on his own.)
I wonder too, if the lack of memory is caused by another underlying disorder that's being masked by the ADD. It's too easy for doctors to prescribe a medication to treat the symptoms without taking time to get the entire picture. Someone told me it's like the skin of an onion, peel away one layer and there's something else there. Even for health professionals this can be a game of trial and error. A private music teacher can be a good source of information once we find something that DOES work with this individual.
Music can be taught in so many different ways. If we get away from the standard goals when these don't work, we could be the key for helping that individual develop a deep love for the art of music itself, whether sung, danced to, or played on another instrument besides the clarinet. We can help the child develop as far as his/her abilities and heredity will allow.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-10-01 20:05
I normally split up tasks considerably with beginners. The playing by ear thing works fairly well, etc. But my parents are sure that I am ADHD myself, having grown up in the 1960's prior to hot and cold running ritalyn. With those kids, I do feel pretty good about what can be done.
A key issue touched on by Davis is whether the kid WANTS to play music. Often, they have joined band and have fallen behind. Parents have this idea that playing the instrument will make them special, but this works only if they're really attracted to music. An ADHD kid really attracted to music may actually get ahead of the 'normal' kids. I worked with one kid who was mildly autistic for two years. He made terrific progress the first year and really impressed his band director, but took the summer off and never regain either his momentum or the year's-end status quo. Despite lavishing all kinds of extra time and effort on him, the bottom line was failure. Playing music did not work for him--it only added to his burdens. Perhaps I can term it a minor success that he enjoyed our relationship and working on something together. (i.e. an extra human relationship that was not itself impeded by his condition.)
But the bottom line was that we started off with success very unlikely, and I have to wonder if his time might've been better spent on something more appropriate for his makeup. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even mild autism seems like it would be an incredible impediment for a band or orchestra musician.
I don't regret knowing him or working with him, but what we worked on was not useful that I know of.
This is the most severe condition that I have encountered, although I had a kid who was severely visual-oriented (not even sure what this means or if I'm saying it right) and possibly dislexic who quit much sooner. Although his effort level and temperment were far inferior to that of the autistic kid. He claims to have learned better in band than in lessons--possibly due to getting more direct demonstration.
Could anyone shed some light on either of these situations?
Allen Cole
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-10-01 20:09
Stick to the charts, and throw them in with the rest.
My son's god-father has a child with Ausperger's syndrome.
The kid is smart enough to hide behind the diagnosis in order to duck chores.
Mainstreaming kids with behavioural problems means they make the adjustment... not the rest of the students.
The bottom line is performance - if the child in question is unprepared or needs constant correction, the rest of the players pay the price.
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2004-10-01 20:20
Funny you mention Ausperger's syndrome, I had a drummer with this disability in my band for two years. He was not medicated in any way. Although his behavior in band was sometimes frustrating for the other band members, I have to say that over time, with some one-on-one time and very good eye contact he learned what was expected of him and performed appropriately most of the time. He did occasionally lie down, however, when things got too much for him. Wish I could get away with that.
It's true that as music teachers we are not automatically given information about children. That is wrong, as we are part of his teaching team and can only help him when we know as much as we can about him.
I have experienced note reading problems with children who can't read well - some children have a reading disability and this slows them down very much. I have made up sheets for them with just a few notes, on very large staves. This and a lot of time and repetition seem to do the trick, but until their reading improves their playing may not get very far.
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Author: Contra
Date: 2004-10-01 21:59
This is a bit like my product for my senior project. I'm going to try some music therapy for an elementary special-ed class. I'm hoping to try to get at least some interest in them with recorders, tambourines, maracas, and other simpler instruments.
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Author: Camanda
Date: 2004-10-01 22:32
There's never been anyone with a learning disability in our music department, on the performing side. If you have a learning disability, you are effectively discouraged from the performing arts in my town, which I think is disgusting -- "normal" people I know have had their learning problems improved by learning about music. So I have never had to work with them as far as music goes; I've done other things with them, and I love those kids.
My band director is a wonderful human being, there's no getting around that. He absolutely loves the special needs kids, and he uses one of his prep periods to spend time with them -- show them instruments, play music for them, see if they remember any of that "Every Good Boy" stuff from elementary school. I go there on my study hall to watch sometimes. I admit, I know nothing of what's wrong with these kids; it's not my place to ask. But there's this one girl that never ceases to amaze me. Mr. Smith was reviewing bass clef with them, and he asked if anyone remembered the saying for the notes. No one said anything. Finally, this girl (she's in a wheelchair, with a speech impediment, and she has a hard time controlling her arms and posture) says, "Good boys do fine!" and Mr. Smith just lit up, he was so excited. He asked for the fifth line, and she added, "Always!" It was just great to watch. And like I said, Smitty has so much enthusiasm and he loves these kids.
I wish they got more experience with music, even if there was a separate program for them from the regular bands and choirs. I've developed a few good physical skills from eight years of clarinet and twelve years of choir, I don't see how it can do any harm.
Amanda Cournoyer
URI Clarinet Ensemble, Bass Clarinet
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-10-02 01:08
This discussion reminds me of an amazing documentary we saw that highlighted three very special people with autism. One of these was a young man who never spoke or responded to anything until he was in his 20's. But his caregiver, a nurse who adopted him from the hospital, would every day play records for him and dance with him to develop his walking skills. One night he started to play on the piano everything he'd heard all those years, and he can play back anything by memory. So anyone should be given an opportunity but may learn in a different way.
This thread is very informative, there are some great teaching techniques here.
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Author: GEM
Date: 2004-10-02 01:46
If you're serious about getting a handle on your ADD/ADHD students, I highly recommend the book "Driven to Distraction" by Edward M. Hallowell, MD and John J. Ratey MD. While not specifically written for music education, it provides a great "layman's terms" look at the disorder and gives the names of several prominent ADD folks. In general, ADD folks are highly intelligent, but have a chemical imbalance in the brain which provides the brain with a distracting amount of sensory input. This leads to the appearance of daydreaming, drifting off task, and
(if negatively reinforced) low self esteem. The sort of structured, intense environment that serious music study requires should be wonderfull for the ADD or ADHD - provided they've been properly diagnosed and are following their treatment plans.
GEM
P.S. Kids with visual/perception problems need to have those taken care of as well. This may mean simply glasses or contacts, but could include vision therapy.
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