Teaching Students With Special Needs

A few years back, I was invited to join my local chapter of the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs. At first, I was completely intimidated. Most of the members had been teaching piano, voice, and other instruments for many years — some even longer than I’ve been alive! I was relatively new to teaching, since it was something I did in addition to providing music therapy.

But it was nice to be part of a group, and I’ve become more and more involved since joining. I’ve learned so much about music education from my fellow members, and yesterday, I had the opportunity to give back by presenting on a topic that is close to my heart: teaching music to children with special needs.

It turns out that many of my fellow teachers are interested in taking on students with special challenges, and are hoping to put the information I shared to good use in the future.

At the end of my presentation, I left them with a list of important points to remember, which I’ll share with you below.

•  It’s normal to be intimidated or overwhelmed when working with children who have special needs, but remember to your comfort zone. And if you find that you’re not the right fit for a particular student, be honest with yourself and with the parents.

•  Children with special needs are usually capable of much more than others give them credit for. Many students with special needs actually have much more natural talent and ability to learn music than “typical” students. With these students, learning the music might not be the issue, but they might need help with attention to task, or coping with frustration, or learning how to practice at home.

•  Special needs may or may not be apparent to you as the teacher during lessons. I have several students with diagnoses and IEPS, and I hear from their parents about the kinds of struggles they have at home and at school, but I don’t see any of that at their lessons. With me, they are just like any other typical student.

•  Communicate with parents as much as possible.

•  Don’t let special needs hold a child back from participating in recitals, Festival, and other studio events. This year, I had two of my students with special needs earn their first gold cup.

•  Be prepared for your other students to ask questions. It’s likely that they are perfectly accepting, but just curious. I’ve found that my typical students are really interested in my music therapy work, and the kids I work with who have special needs, but almost always in a positive way. I look at this as a good opportunity to remind them that music really is for everyone and we all have our own ways of expressing ourselves and our talents.

•  Be willing to bend your rules and usual teaching habits to accommodate children with special needs. Flexibility is key.

My studio welcomes children of all ages and abilities, and having such a wide variety of students has only made me a better teacher. Do you have advice to share when it comes to teaching children with special needs?