Whether you have two, twelve, twenty-two, or more students in your classroom at a given time, the issue of meeting the needs of individuals while teaching the whole has probably come up. While working together at Watertown Middle School, we (Abby Casey and Morgan Schneider) wanted to make our classroom the best place to learn for all students. To do this, we created projects with lots of built-in flexibility and opportunities for leveling, so that each student could participate in a way that made sense for them.
Our collaboration began with two students with severe special needs who came to us in a substantially separate adaptive music class setting. We used this class to get to know their strengths, interests, and needs (in terms of musical, social, and life skills). Our music activities and routines incorporated social and life skills. We also used various musical materials to target gross motor skills (boomwhackers, rhythm sticks) and, as time went on, fine motor skills (Orff instruments, ukuleles). Our students explored concepts like starting and stopping together, playing fast and slow, and taking turns, and they used note name color dots to read, compose, and improvise basic rhythm and pitch patterns. At any given moment, our two students may have been doing the same activity, an activity with two different modifications, or two different activities altogether. It was crucial that we could allow for these possibilities, so that each student was engaged in music at an appropriate level.
At the end of the term, we used the activities we explored to design a final performance of a song the students loved (Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feelin’”), with individual specifications that met the needs and abilities of each student. The result was a joyful joint performance that both students could authentically contribute to, in a way that demonstrated everything they had learned in class!
When I (Abby) moved to another district with a large MLL (Multi-Lingual Learners-sometimes also known as ESL or ELL students) population, the same tactics came into play. Using Music as the common language, I used similar techniques and strategies to have students express themselves through playing instruments and composing melodies and/or rhythmic/melodic accompaniment. I also moved from using instruments requiring gross motor skills (like buckets or world percussion instruments) to more fine motor skills-based instruments (guitar, piano, ukulele). The result was amazing, in that it provided ways for students to demonstrate their understanding of musical concepts even if our native languages were different (even better, I learned a lot of Spanish and Portuguese music-related words). It was a heartwarming and exciting experience to share music so profoundly and deeply, sometimes without saying a word.
This fall, I will be moving to a high school setting where I will be teaching Music Technology, with a focus on electronic music production. I’ve been analyzing the curriculum with a focus on reaching all students, and look forward to hearing the music they create. With an emphasis on student choice, modifications and accommodations for students with various skill sets, and seeking out student strengths, the program will surely become an even more popular elective for high school students.
Abby Casey has been teaching public school Music (K-12) (including General Music, World Music, Ukulele, Guitar, Keyboard, and Modern Band), Chorus and Theatre classes for almost 20 years. Currently she teaches Music Production and is the advisor for the BeatMakers Club (digital music composition/performance club) at Durfee High School in Fall River, MA. Abby holds a Master’s in Music Education from Boston University, an MA in Teaching from University of St. Mary, and a Bachelor’s in Music from University of Mary Washington. She can be found performing or music directing musical theatre in southeastern MA, running summer camps for musical theatre performance, and making up hashtags on social media.
- IG: deevahgrl
- TikTok: abbycasey83
Morgan Schneider (she/her) currently teaches band at Parkway Central Middle School in Chesterfield, MO, and also serves the director for her school’s chapter of United Sound. Ms. Schneider has taught a wide range of classes over the past 6 years, including elementary, middle, and high school band, percussion ensemble, and general music. She has also taught middle school adaptive music and participated in the Berklee Music Education and Special Needs Study Group.