In general music classes, students participate in a variety of musical experiences, including ensembles. These may include classroom experiences playing instruments or singing as a group, or in more long-term performance-based experiences such as a musical or program. It is important that students with disabilities participate meaningfully in…

With this paper, we share an activity for the undergraduate mathematics classroom called "The Harp Project" that leverages the aesthetic nature of both the mathematical and the musical arts. This project was conceived as a STEAM/PBL project with the added feature that it was carried out in pieces by an entire class. Anecdotal evidence…

Students come to the music classroom with varying degrees of skill, interest, and comfort toward making music, yet educators must consider how to meet the needs of all students regardless of ability. Using differentiation as a framework, we examine how participatory music making (PMM) might meet these needs. We offer strategies for implementing…

This article describes the inclusive experience of a student with visual impairment in secondary band settings. Information obtained from students with visual impairments who have experienced active participation in school music ensembles may provide much-needed insight into instructional strategies that could improve inclusion. Many music…

The digital or information age promotes a liberal, more empowering way of learning and interacting or as Bob Stein, founder of the Voyager Company and the Institute for the Future of the Book, says, "If the printing press empowered the individual, the digital world empowers collaboration." Cynthia Johnston Turner, director of wind…

This article outlines how to make music programs more inclusive and therefore enable music teachers to compete more effectively for enrollment. Fortunately, music affords teachers many compelling options to win the hearts and minds of students, and thereby to create a more musically literate and supportive public. The author suggests that music…

In this article, two marching band students from 2009 Bands of America Grand National Championship finalist bands show how students of all abilities benefit from involvement in band and music. (Bands of America is a program of Music for All.) Emily Ingram of James Bowie High School, Texas, and Cameron McCanless of Avon High School, Indiana, have…

The beauty of hand drums is that a child of nearly any age can grab one and get a sound. So how can classroom teachers incorporate this enjoyable activity into something that's actually educational? For young students especially, a drum circle can be liberating. Children can be given various responsibilities--as participants, circle organizers,…

Musical theatre is one of the great genres of music, yet very few community theatres use live music to accompany their productions. Sadly, many community theatres that formerly employed pit orchestras are replacing them with electronic music. Some producers would welcome live music, but they worry about the potential cost. There are so many…

Much progress has been made in the past three decades to improve the quality of education for students with disabilities. Schools have had to undergo complex changes in order to implement the special education laws regarding access to and structure of educational services. Although services have dramatically improved, there remain frequent…

Recommends elementary school projects where children design and make their own musical instruments. Maintains that this familiarizes students with the family of instruments and how they produce sound. The built instruments can be as simple as a washtub bass or as complex as an electronic synthesizer. (MJP)

Recommends adding electronic keyboard to vocally based music curricula for elementary students. Argues that the keyboard provides a graphic representation for musical understanding. Suggests teaching keyboard in small, manageable, hierarchically structured steps. Offers suggestions from finger placement and creating sound effects in first grade to…

Suggests expanding the eclectic nature of a band program by creating a steel band, a Caribbean-based percussion ensemble. The steel band complements multicultural education and attracts students to the music program. Discusses maintenance, repertoire, and performance. Includes classification of pans and a list of schools with established programs.…

Defines guided composition as composing music with as many prescribed parameters as a young composer needs. Although the melody should never be proscribed, instructional "controls" can be built into the rhythm, length (and repeats), scale, and clef. Includes excerpts from three K-4 compositions using this technique. (MJP)

In this article, the authors offer insight into the challenges of helping children with disabilities succeed in music through a collaborative effort of music educators and special educators. Making the curriculum flexible and accommodating a variety of learning styles produces better results and eliminates the need to customize adaptations for…