Member Spotlight

Interview

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved in working with students with special needs in music.

My entry into clinical work coincided with the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, a landmark in public education in the United States of America (USA). As a first-year music teacher and therapist in the public schools, I was excited and proud to be a part of these early historic efforts on behalf of children with disabilities. I was one of the first music therapists to work in the Dade County Schools in Miami, Florida, where I grew up.

Before PL 94-142, most children with disabilities were denied access to their neighborhood schools and were educated in segregated institutions, if at all. I remember very few students with disabilities in the schools I attended when growing up. By chance, a number of family members also had disabilities, both in my immediate and extended family, so I was aware of disability issues early in life. As a musician, music therapist and music educator, I was also interested in the musical rights of all children. The public schools were the right place in which to bring these personal and professional interests together.

What areas of music and special education research have you (or are currently) investigated?

Most of my research has been investigating music perception (both physical and social perception) among individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss who have chosen not to have a cochlear implant. During my 20 years at The University of Kansas, I went to the Kansas School for the Deaf every Friday with a number of students. Students there are very much a part of the deaf culture. It is where I learned to respect that culture and to realize that although music has a special place within that culture, it is a very different place than in the hearing culture.

My father also had a hearing loss, as did most of his 9 siblings. I was always curious about what he heard when he listened to music; consequently, my thesis and dissertation were on the topic of music perception among individuals with hearing loss. As I learned more about deaf culture, I became less interested in what individuals in that culture heard and more interested in what they thought about music, and what role, if any, it played in their lives.

One of my most exciting research adventures was going to Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, the only university in the world for the deaf. I was able to visit with students and to observe how music functioned on that campus. This coming spring, a good friend and colleague, Kate Gfeller and I will be working on a book on music and deafness. Her interests are primarily with those individuals who have cochlear implants.

What areas of music and special education research would you like to see expanded in our profession? (e.g., technology, preservice training etc.)

More and more students are being diagnosed with autism, so obviously there is a need to explore ways in which we can help these students with their social needs, as well as their music and academic needs. It is an area another colleague, Mary Adamek is exploring. Many of my students are also interested in autism, though I am hoping more of them will develop an interest in working with students who have learning disabilities. LD is a high incidence disability though not well represented in the research literature. Like autism, it is a very complex disability, and rarely does a teacher have two students with the same needs.

What activities and/or participation regarding music and special education would you like to see expanded within our profession?

I am thrilled that we now have a SRIG in NAfME devoted to students with disabilities, and we have Kim McCord to thank for that. All music teachers need to be concerned about the music education of students with disabilities because these students fortunately are now a part of our regular ensembles and classes. I love to learn from my colleagues, so I hope we will have more webinars and videoconferencing. As a part of these webinars, I would enjoy watching teachers work with students in the classroom and know more about what they are doing that has proved effective for them. It is one thing to stand up and talk about it at a conference, but it is another thing to actually observe a good teacher working in real time. Fortunately, I get to see many of my students and former students doing good work, and it is a real joy because I can see how far we have come in working with students who have disabilities in the public schools.

What questions are you most frequently asked by K-12 music educators about students with special needs and what are your answers?

Most teachers want to know about music materials that have already been adapted or that can be easily adapted for students with varying skill levels. If they are working as a music therapist, I often recommend Music for Learning (vols. I, II, and III) by Diane Hannibal, a former student of mine at The University of Kansas. These are especially good for older students in a self-contained classroom. If they are a music educator, I often talk about task analysis and Universal Design for Learning as good principles with which they can adapt any music concept they are working on in the classroom. Many teachers have questions about a specific student or situation. I like brainstorming with them about potential solutions to their problems. I particularly enjoy the kind of creative thinking those kinds of questions involve. Many of my former students will call or email me about a class or student and I get to brainstorm with them, which is always rewarding.

What future goals would you like to see our SRIG try to attain?

I would like to see our SRIG membership continue to grow, of course, and to perhaps include in our discussions the lifelong learning of individuals with disabilities. My hope for the future is that all individuals with disabilities will be welcomed in their communities, to be able to find employment when appropriate, and to have a social life that they find fulfilling. Of course, I hope that they also have lives filled with music, but most of all, I want them to have dignity and respect. There are still many countries where individuals with disabilities are not accepted into the mainstream. I hope that music educators will work together to propel the disability movement forward, and to suggest ways in which music can be a part of that movement.

Interview

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved in working with students with special needs in music.

Just as music teachers experience in classrooms today, as a young teacher I had students who got my attention frequently, for any number of reasons. Whether I was teaching at the elementary level or teaching band and choir at the secondary levels, I saw children who were struggling, who seemed angry, who were withdrawn, or who had few friends—children who today would likely be assessed and have categorical labels assigned to them. I knew them only by their names. I was drawn to them and tried to find ways to make music class a happier, more successful part of their school day. In a sense, all of my classes were inclusive since much of my teaching was years before IDEA was signed into law.

I never saw children with severe intellectual disabilities or multiple disabilities until I worked as a music therapist in a residential state hospital. Many of the children who were there should have been attending regular schools, but that is not the way it was done then. My feelings about these injustices were articulated clearly and passionately by several organizations advocating for deinstitutionalization and quality of life for people with disabilities. I resonated with them, and learned from them. I knew after my school and hospital experiences that I would have a career working to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.

Following my studies in music education and music therapy at Florida State University, I founded the music therapy program at University of Minnesota. During my years at MN, IDEA was signed into law, and I observed its impact on music teachers. My interests in music teaching and research became more focused on inclusion. I now enjoy teaching at the Butler School at The University of Texas at Austin where I help prepare young people for their important work of providing opportunities for all children to be successful and participate happily in music classrooms.

What areas of music and special education research have you (or are currently) investigated?

The most exciting and current work that I’m doing is with Ellary Draper, a doctoral student at UT. She and I are conducting an observational study of children in inclusive elementary music classrooms where we will examine levels of participation, music learning, social interactions, and opportunities for children to practice goals identified on their IEPs. Also, recently I’ve enjoyed working with Laura Brown and Ellary in the completion of two systematic reviews of literature. One (Brown & Jellison, JMT, 2012) is a review of music research with children and youth published in peer reviewed journals for the years 1999 through 2009; results are compared with the latest 10 years of an earlier review I completed in 2000. The other (Jellison & Draper, under review) is a review of music research conducted in inclusive school settings for the years 1975-2012. I have other ongoing writing projects, of course all on the topic of inclusion.

What areas of music and special education research would you like to see expanded in our profession?

From the reviews I mentioned above, we know that there is a very low rate of published music research related to children with disabilities. We found only 45 studies that were conducted in various types of settings (1999 through 2009) and 22 studies that were conducted in inclusive settings (1975 through 2012). Very few of the articles in both reviews were published in music education research journals (e.g., JRME). Although we would not expect many inclusion studies for the first several years after the passage of IDEA, we found none published after 2007. Also, few were conducted in inclusive music classrooms, few measured music learning, and none were conducted with students at the secondary level.

There were other interesting findings, but overall the data confirm what we all suspect: that we are in need of research in all areas of music and special education, and specifically research in inclusive music settings where children have access to music learning. IDEA 2004 requires that students with disabilities have greater access to the regular curriculum and that they reach “academic,” and not only “functional” goals. Our emphasis needs to be on music learning in inclusive settings, and we need to expand research beyond elementary grade levels to include secondary choirs, bands, and orchestras. All research methodologies are viable, but systematic observation methods and single-subject designs allow the flexibility to study interventions in depth with fewer children. We would also benefit greatly from stringent descriptive studies, including case studies.

What activities and/or participation regarding music and special education would you like to see expanded within our profession?

Our profession (the membership and those in leadership positions), and those who identify with the music research community are sensitive to issues regarding children with disabilities and inclusive music classrooms. Some may need to be reminded of these issues, but overall, I believe we have a supportive profession.

On that note, I would like to find ways for us to have a seat at the table when NAfME is developing and describing standards, or consulting with the Department of Education on assessments in the arts (e.g., NAEP) or on surveys regarding the status of music education. For example, on three occasions, the Department of Education has conducted an assessment of arts education in American Schools. Responses from principals are presented by levels and by each arts area regarding availability, characteristics of programs, teaching loads, and a number of other indicators. I found no questions that might have provided information about the availability of music programs for students with disabilities and the settings where programs are provided (regular or separate classrooms). Also, on a smaller scale, when our colleagues are conducting various types of surveys, they often ask about demographics related to the participants. Might we collaborate with them and ask that a few questions about students with disabilities and their presence in regular music classrooms be included in those surveys?

When Kim McCord was asked about the goals for the SRIG since its inception she answered “Visibility;” to elevate research on these topic; and to promote contact between younger and more experienced researchers. Brava!! We are having greater visibility and thanks to the leadership of Kim VanWeelden, we have this wonderful web site and newsletter. Collaboration with our colleagues, and having a voice regarding national issues may increase the research which will certainly increase visibility.

What questions are you most frequently asked by K-12 music educators about students with special needs and what are your answers?

Most often a question will focus on a teacher’s experience with one child. This teacher is looking for a way to help the child be more successful, and I find these types of questions heartening. There is, of course, no easy answer for this type of question so, not knowing the student, I always begin by asking more questions—questions about ways the student is successful, and importantly, who the teacher can contact for support and collaboration. Many teachers feel that they alone must come up with solutions for all of their instructional issues. Knowing this, I usually give them some reasonable suggestions, encourage them to find out about the IEP process and participate, at least for this one child, but importantly, I emphasize that they build a support system, collaborate, and work with positive, knowledgeable professionals who care about this student. Of course, throughout my conversations, I emphasize contact with parents, parents, parents.

What future goals would you like to see our SRIG try to attain?

Going back to Kim’s original mission for the SRIG, that of visibility, much has been accomplished in a short period. I wonder if it is now time to develop a plan that would identify reasonable goals to be reached within a five and ten year period. Ideas could be solicited from the SRIG membership but also from other SRIG chairs and members. We would need to begin with a clear understanding of our overall mission, but I’m sure any future goals would relate to continued visibility. Most likely our goals will include those for teacher preparation, in-services, and research. My suggestion of developing a plan with short- and long- term goals for our SRIG may reveal my many years in academe, but as we tell our students—in teaching and research, we must have a big picture of what is to be taught, what questions are important to answer, and why. Perhaps by using our collective wisdom and experience, and by collaborating with our colleagues, we can set a path to accomplish goals we deem most important.

Interview

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved in working with students with special needs in music.

I have a learning disability and struggled with reading music fluently. I guess that is why improvisation and playing by ear is my natural doorway in to performance.

I developed a software music reading tutorial in 1993 that I used with my middle school instrumental music students in the Denver Public Schools. It worked so well DPS allowed me to do a study with 3 middle schools using the software and three as a control group. Essentially we learned that all students showed increased ability to read music fluently using the software except for two groups, English Language Learners and students with specific learning disabilities. Even more disturbing, almost all of the students with learning disabilities dropped out of band or strings the following year. That is when I realized that I wanted to be a better teacher and understand how to reach my students with learning disabilities.

I did course work to add an endorsement in mild-moderate special education to my teaching certificate and for one year I taught middle school special education. This allowed me to work with children with specific learning disabilities outside of the music classroom. I did testing, developed IEPs and taught students who struggled with reading and math. I learned a lot.

My dissertation looked at elementary children with identified learning disabilities composing using computer software. I was able to put together a more holistic understanding of how children with various learning disabilities understand and process music.

Since then I have taught and studied children with vision and hearing loss, children with severe physical disabilities and children with autism.

Tell us the history of how the Children with Exceptionalities SRIG came into existence.

Other than a handful of people, there were very few writing and doing research on students with exceptionalities. MENC would have focus issues in the MEJ every few years but otherwise there wasn’t much available for teachers who were doing their best to include students with disabilities in music classes. ISME had a terrific research group (the Commission on Music in Special Education, Music Therapy and Music Medicine). I guess I just figured MENC needed a SRIG and the validation that comes with it for the type of research that so badly needed to be done. If the SRIG existed it might inspire others to see this line of research as important and valued by our professional organization.

Tell us about your early experiences with this SRIG.

It took a long time to get it up and running. Getting a list of supporters was the first task. Getting on the conference schedule in Milwaukee to hold a first organizational meeting also took some work and then having a cheerleader in Carolynn Lindeman helped as well.

Tell us the goals/purpose for the SRIG at its inception.

Visibility! Having the SRIG would help elevate the importance of research on children with exceptionalities. It also helps some of the younger researchers meet some of our leaders who they are familiar with through reading their articles.

Have these goals changed?

I don’t think so. We are still really new. So far we have only met twice.

What future goals would you like to see our SRIG try to attain?

I’m not sure. I am so pleased that you have developed the web site for resources, it is a major step forward for teachers.

What questions are you most frequently asked by K-12 music educators about students with special needs and what are your answers?

Oh gosh, this could take forever to answer. Mostly teachers have one or two really perplexing or frustrating students they either want to talk about or are hoping to get some strategies for teaching. Since I do so much with technology I am often asked about it. How do you get it written into the IEP and so forth.

What areas of music and special education research have you (or are currently) investigated?

I have been working with iPads for the past year in a self-contained classroom of students with autism. I think there is great promise in using iPads and inexpensive apps to help children with communication disorders, aversion to certain instruments or sensitivity to sound, accessible creativity programs and apps to help with transitions.

What areas of music and special education research would you like to see expanded in our profession? (e.g., technology, preservice training etc.)

I’d like to see more focus on collaboration and teaching preservice teachers the importance of collaboration for better inclusion in music. I really love a course I teach at my school, Music for the Exceptional Child, because the students are music and special education majors. I pair them together and they go out into the schools and teach side-by-side. They learn first hand how essential it is to work together in schools.

What activities and/or participation regarding music and special education would you like to see expanded within our profession?

A few areas continue to be problems in our profession:

1. Training of teachers in regards to current approaches to teaching and including children with disabilities,

2. Stressing the importance of input in the IEP development (music teachers need to ask to be included if they aren’t and special educators need to remember to reach out to music teachers and get their feedback

3. Exclusive ensembles- this continues to be a major barrier to students with disabilities. Directors need to let go of the need to compete and create perfect ensembles. We are one of the last professions to embrace inclusion.