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nafmeadmin.
nafmeadminHello! I am in my 4th year of teaching elementary music and have a student in jr. kindergarten this year who is, and always has been, completely blind. Up until now, I’ve been making accommodations just fine regarding using her as a model to show movements to the class and letting her feel instruments. Tomorrow, however, I’m planning on incorporating a visual of quarter notes along with some instrument playing, mostly as exposure. This led me to realize that with this particular student, accommodations are going to get more difficult as she gets older. Do any of you have experiences teaching music to blind students? I’m interested to learn about Braille music and other resources. Thank you!
nafmeadminFor now use stick notation, and literally use popsicle sticks as a manipulative to use for the student. I have a friend who is a blind musician and has been all their life. What we do is someone prepays and records the music and they end up memorizing it. You can also use tactile things such as magnetic boards and magnets to feel the staff and move it around to represent the musical staff.
nafmeadminYou might also check out this book:
Music in Special Education, Second Edition [Paperback]
Mary S. Adamek (Author), Alice-Ann Darrow (Author)
it has an entire chapter devoted to students with visual impairments. I have had Alice and arrow as a teacher before and she is wonderful with doing these modifications.
Christopher M. Johnson, Professor of Music Education and Music Therapy, is currently the Chair of the Music Education and Music Therapy Department and Director of the Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. Johnson earned his Ph.D. from the Florida State University.
Since his arrival at The University of Kansas, Johnson has taught courses in Instrumental Conducting, Teaching Instrumental Music, Managing Behaviors in the Music Environment, Psychology and Acoustics of Music, and Research Methods in Music Education and Music Therapy. Johnson served two terms as the editor of the International Journal of Music Education: Research, the research publication of the International Society for Music Education. He is currently serving his second term on the National Association for Music Educations Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Music Education, and one earlier term as the Chair for the MENC Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education. Johnson also served as the Chair for the Research Commission of the International Society for Music Education.
Johnson’s research interests include applied research in music education, and basic research in all aspects of the psychology of music. He has published articles in many journals including the Journal of Research in Music Education, the International Journal of Music Education, the Journal of Music Therapy, Journal of Band Research, Contributions to Music Education, and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, among others. Johnson has also been an active member and contributor to the Research Seminar of the International Society for Music Education and World Alliance for Arts Education.
Johnson received a university teaching award – the Ned N. Fleming Award for Excellence in Teaching and received the recognition for Graduate Teaching Achievement from the Center for Teaching Excellence. Johnson was also awarded a lecturing & research award as a J. William Fulbright Scholar and recently received the Ella Scoble Opperman Citation for Distinguished Achievement from the Florida State University College of Music.
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