Planning for appropriate seating may include proximity to a paraprofessional or student helper, as well as any instruments and music used during class. In elementary general music settings, place students near the teacher and also near any instruments or materials that may be used during class to lessen the number of transitions required.

llow opportunities to respond during instruction that include time allotted for visual, kinesthetic, and oral responses

Class and ensemble rules can be developed with students each year. This provides a sense of ownership in the classroom, and students are often more willing to comply with a system they created

a) student proximity to the teacher, (b) a music teacher’s ability to visually monitor all students, (c) active engagement with students, (d) student access to the teacher, and (e) ratio of adults to students that is conducive to close supervision.

Carson first joined my class, he would plug his ears while in line to self-soothe when the other students were talking. He has become more acclimated to the noise of lining up and no longer plugs his ears as often.

Many music education, music performance, theater education, and theater performance majors have had little or no experience in teaching students with differences and disabilities. Increased curricular and licensure requirements have left little time for training arts educators to teach students with differences and disabilities. This lack of experience may deter them from including students with disabilities in their own future programs.

The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as an established healthcare profession that uses music to address the individual needs (nonmusical) of its clientele. In this context, think of the clientele as music students in your classroom. The needs of the students in the music education classroom are the following: cognitive, communication, behavioral, emotional, physical, and sensory.

Self-contained classrooms exist in public schools for a variety of educational reasons. The most common use of the self-contained setting is for students who would not be successful in an inclusive or integrated classroom. However, many self-contained classrooms are used to group students together who have similar needs (i.e., students who are intellectually gifted). More often, a self-contained classroom contains students who have a variety of learning needs. Typically, a self-contained classroom has one lead teacher who is a certified special educator and multiple paraprofessionals to assist that lead teacher. Within these classes it is important to observe the variety of instruction taking place. There are often several different methods of instruction occurring together or in tandem (Box 3.1).

After reading the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, attending an IEP or 504 Plan meeting, observing, and assisting students in their primary classroom setting, and reflecting on these experiences, music educators will be able to provide the foundation for planning future lessons with students with differences and disabilities

There are nuances that music educators may not be accustomed to including as part of a typical music lesson (e.g., self-care, hand-over-hand assistance), and music educators will need strategies regarding how to include these adaptations appropriately. In addition, an experienced special educator may not know music content; however, they do know the challenges that students face in the areas of language (e.g., speaking too fast or using too many words), physical needs, and cognitive and sensory limitations. It is important to implement these ideas and to encourage a dialogue among all members of the team.