MSD Classroom: A designated classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities. This does not necessarily mean that these students spend their entire day in this classroom (some may leave for other subjects throughout the day), but that this classroom is designed to provide the most successful environment for the students, including paraprofessionals and additional resources that may not be as readily available in a general education classroom.
Individualized Education Program (IEP): A written plan that is unique to each student, addressing goals and objectives related to the student's learning. An IEP also helps track a student's learning throughout their education.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Previously known as the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (Later changed to IDEA in 1990), this is a detailed law this is divided in to four parts (A,B,C, and D). In short, the IDEA act provides equal opportunities for all children to receive the same educational rights.
Gonyou-Brown, J. (2016). "Incorporating music into individualized programs for students with developmental disabilities." Canadian Music Educator (57:3), 38-40.
Developing an individual music therapy intervention program for students based on their Individualized Education Program (IEP) can be difficult for educators and music therapists alike to navigate at times. This article explains how to utilize information from an IEP, such as specific goals and progress notes, to address the needs of individual students. The author further explains how music therapy can be incorporated in classroom settings to provide an inclusive learning environment for students with special needs. This article is an excellent resource for educators, school staff, and music therapists who would like to know more about how to utilize music therapy for students with varying needs or disabilities. I would recommend using this article as a starting point when reviewing a student's IEP and creating an intervention plan specifically related to music or music therapy.
Stephenson, J. (2006). "Music therapy and the education of students with severe disabilities." Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 41:3, 290-299.
This article focuses on many aspects of music therapy in school and education settings, including a brief history of recent music therapy research in schools, possible benefits of music therapy in education settings, music therapy goals, and applying music therapy in this setting. The article suggests that there is still room for research in this area of study, and additional knowledge would be beneficial moving forward. The author also suggests using very specific goals when working with individual students, as each student may respond differently to various interventions. The author ends by stressing that music therapy should be used responsibly in school settings, in order to provide the most benefit.
DeBedout, J.K., Warden, M.C. (2006). "Motivators for children with severe intellectual disabilities in the self-contained classroom: A movement analysis." Journal of Music Therapy, vol. 43(2), 123-35.
Researching comparing a live music therapist versus other music-related resources has recently become more popular. This article focuses on comparing the benefits of a music therapist versus using switch-activated toys that play recorded music. Specifically, the population that these researchers worked with were school-aged children diagnosed with severe intellectual disabilities. Researchers found that the children responded and moved more while interacting with a music therapist than while using a toy. The authors do suggest that movement may be difficult to measure, and that further studies may be needed in the future. This is especially important in measuring the success of music therapy sessions in schools in the future.
Faulkner, S. (2017). Rhythm to Recovery: A Practical Guide to Using Music, Voice, and Movement for Social and Emotional Development. Chapter 4.
Throughout this book, you can find rhythmic intervention examples that can be used with a variety of populations. Along with the interventions, the author describes diagnoses and potential challenges for specific populations, and why such interventions could be beneficial. Specifically, Chapter 4 of this book highlights specific populations such as individuals with special needs and youth populations. In section 4.2 (page 38), the author highlights individuals with special needs and the implications of working with these individuals. The author provides information about challenges that individuals with special needs may face, and needs that may need to be met for these individuals. This section also highlights vital points for working with music with this population, including creating a safe environment, communicating effectively, remaining aware of sensory sensitivities, and more. While this chapter focuses on the diagnoses, symptoms, needs that can be met, and other implications, you can also find resources and possible interventions that can be used with this population throughout the rest of the book as well.
Darrow, A.A., Adamek, M.S. (2018). Music in Special Education. Chapter 6
Music education and music therapy are both equally important in the education of young students. This chapter highlights current practice in schools, inclusion, the role of music therapists and music educators, collaborating among educators and therapists, and more. Specifically, the chapter focuses on music in special education settings. Like much of this book, chapter 6 includes several examples, tables, and lists to help show the author's point. This is a very helpful chapter for educators, therapists, and anyone interested in learning more about music therapy in special education settings.