Katy Morgan

November 11, 2020

Student Background Project

Student B is a male transgender student whose began transitioning his Freshman year. As

a current senior Student B is a member of the advanced tenor/bass ensemble. Student B has a 504

plan to assist with his ADHD, executive functioning weakness, generalized anxiety, dysthymia,

reading comprehension weakness and difficulties with fluency in math and writing. Dysthymia is

a persistent depressive disorder that affects one's mood and energy.

Student B is an active member within the choral department. Outside of his participation

in the Singing Cavalier he participates in the broadway cabaret night. Due to his transition, my

teacher allowed him to choose which ensemble he felt most comfortable being a part of and he

chose the tenor/bass ensemble. However due to his transition he is singing tenor 1 because his

voice hasn’t transitioned.

His voice has a limited range and this is something his teachers need to consider when

selecting repertoire for the ensemble and for the cabaret night. One way that helps us know what

type of music to select for him is by doing vocal explorations with him. At the beginning of my

student teaching block we were able to do a vocal exploration with him to see his range which is

quite limited. After talking with his teacher I have learned that he needs music that has nice long

phrases and assigning him to the tenor 1 line allows us to keep him within his comfortable range.

As his educators we must also be aware and considerate of Student Bs dysthymia and

anxiety. It is apparent during class in his changes of mood and is demonstrated through his

comments and attentiveness. Sometimes during his class period he will make statements that

make other people uncomfortable. One way to help Student B and the other members of the class
is to make the lesson engaging and remind him when it is appropriate to make comments and

when it is not.

Lastly we must consider Student B’s reading difficulties during lesson planning. Student

B is given extended time for assignments and one way to make sure he gets his extended time is

by allowing class time for activities and then having the assignment not be due for a few days

following class. That way if he did not finish his assignments during class he can work on them

over the weekend and get the extra assistance during office hours. Another helpful tool for

assisting his musical literacy is providing a key signatures scale with the solfege labeled as a

guide for solfege activities. This way he has a resource to review back too but still must think

about what he is doing and apply his knowledge to the assignment.

It is important to accommodate Student B’s learning needs and create a safe environment

for his learning experience. We have done that through welcoming him into the ensemble of his

choosing and by adjusting assignment and repertoire to be suitable for his voice and learning

accommodations.