Preparing for the Future: Music Students with Special Education Needs in School and Community Life

Author(s):  
Alice-Ann Darrow ◽  
Mary S. Adamek

This article considers the status of music education for disabled students. Music has long played a key role in special education programs for students with disabilities. However, the inclusive practices in schools today, have increased music educators' accountability in the education of their students. Though instructional roles may differ, music educators often work with students who are along the continuum of abilities ranging from gifted to those with the most severe disabilities. Music educators can prepare themselves by engaging in continuous education, collaborating with other school personnel, and staying up to date on appropriate readings in professional journals.

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Wilson ◽  
Jan McCrary

Before and after completing a university course for teaching music to special education learners, master's-level music education students ( N = 18) were given a measure examining their attitudes toward students with disabilities. The survey instrument consisted of 20 statements describing five different groups of students; these were learners with emotional, physical, multiple, mental, or no impairments. The participants were directed to indicate strength of agreement or disagreement with the following statements: “I would feel comfortable in interacting with this individual,” “I would be willing to work with this individual,” and “I would feel capable in working professionally with this individual.” Results showed an increase in the participants' responses to the statement “I would feel more capable in working professionally” but a statistically significant decrease ( p < . 05) to the statement “I would be willing to work” with special-needs learners after the completion of training.


2017 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 32-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice-Ann Darrow ◽  
Mary S. Adamek

A number of initiatives in special education have occurred in the United States over the years, some mandated by amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Having a working knowledge of these initiatives allows music educators to have informed discussions with colleagues and parents and participate more fully in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Adopting special education practices that are appropriate to music education can also promote consistent and coordinated efforts on behalf of students with disabilities. This article includes summaries of current practices and initiatives in special education. For music educators who would like a basic understanding of their colleagues’ discipline, these summaries offer useful information that can facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002242942199033
Author(s):  
Amanda R. Draper ◽  
Sarah J. Bartolome

This 3-year ethnography explored the culture of the Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE), a university undergraduate volunteer organization offering music instruction for individuals with disabilities. We examined the organization and its impact on students, parents, and volunteers through the lens of the social relational model of disability. Findings clustered around three pillars of organizational values: ability, community, and service. The organization’s philosophy of ability cultivated a community that acknowledged the impairments of the students while actively seeking ways to break down the socially imposed barriers to musical learning that were disabling to them. The program filled a need where access to music education had previously been limited or denied. Undergraduate volunteers’ experiences raised their awareness of inequity for people with disabilities and motivated them to consider ways to serve this community in their future careers. Findings illustrate the potential impact of a social relational model on music education philosophy and practice, suggesting a need for music educators to challenge implicit beliefs about students’ capabilities and actively inquire into the ways in which music education contexts may be inherently disabling.


Author(s):  
Robyn Swanson

This chapter addresses the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) by special education practitioners in instruction and assessment while providing music educators guidance toward implementing these practices in instruction and assessment for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within universal design for learning (UDL) inclusive classrooms. Included are behavioral characteristics of students with ASD that music educators need be cognizant of in inclusive settings; federal education laws and policies that have provided students with disabilities rights to a quality education; and selected special education EBP and accommodations deemed as viable interventions for teaching and assessing PreK-12 standards-based music curriculum for students with ASD. Music educators may determine the PreK-12 music assessments aligned to appropriate EBP and accommodations for students with ASD are beneficial resources when designing and implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment linked to the 2014 National Core Arts (Music) Standards (NCAS) with supporting Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs).


2021 ◽  
pp. 104837132110344
Author(s):  
Ellary A. Draper

Within special education, transition is a required part of a student’s Individualized Education Program, specifically the transition from school to postsecondary life. Recently, special educators have begun to investigate best practices of transition at all levels—early intervention into school, elementary to middle school, and middle to high school. Yet in music education transition is not widely discussed for students with and without disabilities. This article includes an overview of best practices of transition in special education and provides ideas on how to implement these practices in music education to better facilitate transition between schools to postsecondary life for students with disabilities.


1997 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios D. Sideridis ◽  
Judy P. Chandler

The Teacher Integration Attitudes Questionnaire (TIAQ) was developed in order to assess the attitudes and beliefs of teachers (n = 110) with regard to the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education settings. Using Structural Equation Modeling, the final structural model of the TIAQ comprised four constructs, namely, “Skills,” “Benefits,” “Acceptance,” and “Support.” The final model was fully supported by the derivation sample of music education teachers (n = 54) and produced a Comparative Fit Index (CFI = 1.00). The replication sample of physical education teachers (n = 56) partially supported the generality of the TIAQ, (CFI = .844). Further, the internal consistency properties of the TIAQ (Cronbach’s alpha was .77 for both samples) were satisfactory. We conclude that the psychometric properties of the TIAQ were adequate, and it can be used as a valid assessment in evaluating the status of inclusion for students with disabilities as perceived by music education and physical education teachers. However, future research is needed to support its generality with other groups of teachers and professionals.


1994 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 359-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Ysseldyke ◽  
Cheryl M. Lange ◽  
Deborah J. Gorney

This study examines the characteristics of students with disabilities who participate in Open Enrollment (one of seven enrollment options available in Minnesota), the reasons they participate, and the sources of information and decision-making process involved with choosing another district. Surveys of 347 parents revealed three primary reasons for transferring their children: The child's special education needs being better met at the new district, more personal attention from the teacher, and dissatisfaction with the resident school. Other factors, such as disability category, parents' income, and location, were also analyzed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Stephenson ◽  
Mark Carter

Although qualified special educators are more likely to provide effective teaching for students with disabilities and special education needs, it seems many teachers in special education and support positions are not qualified for this role. The study reported here provided analysis of 219 job advertisements for special education positions in order to ascertain what employers required of applicants for special education positions. Advertisements represented all states and sectors in Australia, although the sample does not fully reflect the relative numbers of schools in each state. Most positions were for class teachers or for teachers providing support within and across schools. Special education qualifications and experience in special education were not common criteria for employment. The concerns raised by this finding are addressed through suggestions for formal recognition for special educators and accreditation of teacher education programs preparing special educators.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. DeMatthews ◽  
David S. Knight

State accountability systems have been a primary school reform initiative in the U.S. for the past twenty years, but often produce unintended negative consequences. In 2004, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) implemented the Performance Based Monitoring and Analysis System (PBMAS) which included an accountability indicator focused on the percentage of students found eligible for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the nation’s special education law. From 2004 through 2016, the percentage of students found eligible for special education in Texas declined significantly, while the national rate held constant. Eventually, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) investigated TEA and the statewide implementation of IDEA. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to evaluate the potential impact of the the PBMAS indicator on manipulation of special education identification practices; and (b) to describe how the indicator may have influenced school and district personnel. We highlight several concerning trends in state and district data and, through an analysis of publicly available reports from the ED, show how district and school personnel knowingly and unknowingly acted in ways that delayed and denied special education to potentially eligible students. We conclude with recommendations for TEA and implications for future research and policy.


2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura M. Stough

Special education has been part of the Costa Rican public education system for more than 60 years. Approximately 10% of the 75,000 students who receive special services have a severe disability; however, there is a chronic shortage of personnel trained to educate students with significant educational needs. In the last 5 years, Costa Rica has promulgated four educational service models that extend special education expertise: Consulting teachers, educational assistance teams, itinerant teams, and resource centers. These models more equitably distribute the technical skills and knowledge of special education professionals throughout the country. In addition, the Department of Special Education has developed a pragmatic educational classification system that describes the level of modifications required by students with disabilities, rather than one that is driven by their diagnostic label. Few publications have been written about special education in Costa Rica. This is the first historical overview of the development of inclusion in this country.


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