• RATIONALE: 

The topic I’m selecting is differentiating music learning for adaptive students. In
previous music education classes I’ve taken at JMU, we have learned about methods
for teaching students with special needs. However, I feel that is not enough for me.
What about students who are blind, deaf, have ADHD or autism? The possibilities are
endless, and I want to be prepared for all of them. I recognize that IEP’s are usually put
in place for certain students, but what can I do as their music teacher to make them
have just as meaningful and musical experiences as non-adaptive students? “The
technique traditionally used by blind people to write and read music is known as Braille
Music, a tactile transcription technique invented in the nineteenth century. This
technique is quite effective for people with visual impairments, as it enables the
transcription of any conventional musical score, shortly and with small expense of
paper, and reading musical transcriptions at great speed, only by touch,” (Borges &
Tomé, 2014). This scholarly journal discusses the many ways to teach music to blind
children, with technology being a primary way. I would have never guessed, or know,
that there was a computer software that serves as a means for music composition via
Braille. I feel as though many schools don’t educate their teachers on the proper ways
to teach deaf or blind students, nor do they have the funding for software to help them.
Nonetheless, I would like to be prepared to accommodate all types of learners. My older
stepbrother is autistic and absolutely loves music, so much to the point that he asked
me to start giving him guitar lessons a few months ago. It was a great experience that
I’ll always hold near and dear to my heart. I hope to have experiences similar to this in
my teaching career and hope I will have the necessary tools and knowledge to properly
foster them. Although I think I will end up teaching high school choir, I feel that
researching this topic will be applicable and helpful in any school level, not just
elementary.

Borges, J. A., & Tomé, D. (2014). Teaching Music to Blind Children: New Strategies for
Teaching through Interactive Use of Musibraille Software. Procedia Computer Science,
27, 19-27.

• RESEARCH QUESTION(s):

1. How can a teacher provide a nurturing, musical experience for a deaf or blind
student?
2. How can music be used in a classroom to calm students who have ADHD?