As KMEA rolls around, Amanda and I want to take the opportunity to let you know about some great Special Needs sessions that we are excited about being offered this year.
The first is “Don’t Be Afraid: Including Students with Visual Impairment in the Music Classroom.” This session will be Saturday morning in the Pear Room. We have all heard inspirational stories about including children with visual impairments in performing ensembles. Would you know what to do if that student was in your group? This session will provide you will some simple accommodations and ideas make all students part of the music making process.
Teachers from Wichita’s adaptive music team will present some of their tested tips and tricks for working with Special Needs students in K-8 music classrooms. They will share accommodations, assistive materials, lessons ideas, and their successes and challenges Thursday afternoon in the Pear Room.
Erin Buster from Franklin Elementary in Wichita will present “Finding Success Integrating SPED Students into the Elementary Music Classroom.” This session will generate ideas and help add tools to your educator toolbox to help integrate special education students in your elementary music classroom. This session will be on Friday.
Every day we see more and more students in our classrooms dealing with different forms of trauma. In “Finding Inner Harmony: The Trauma-informed Student and the Music Classroom,” you will hear about research and personal experience in working with trauma affected students. This session will also target the benefits of music healing both the heart and mind and assisting with regulation. Look for this session on Thursday afternoon.
The last Special Needs focused session will be on Friday afternoon. If you have ever had a student with autism you know how much they can gain from music. “Kids with Autism CAN!!” will provide you will kid-tested games, props, songs, literature books, Orff arrangements and other strategies to use in your classroom.
As always, Amanda and I are always here to help! We are more than happy to answer emails and even visit your classroom! Please use us as a resource anytime!
