How to Teach Music to Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy Students: Best Practices
One of my favorite times teaching was when I was teaching music at a school which was the main school for kids with learning disabilities in the county. They bused in students from all over the county to specifically attend ESE (exceptional student education) classes. There were students with special needs from preschool through the fifth grade and when I say I loved the experience, I mean I LOVED IT! I even looked into changing my whole profession to teaching kids with learning disabilities. Because there are so many disabilities, this article will share some of the things I did in my music classroom to help make teaching music effective for kids specifically with Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy.
Teaching music to children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or other major learning and physical disabilities not only helps students learn music, but develop social and cognitive skills which will benefit them overall. Before teaching these students, its important to get an overall understanding of what these conditions mean.
Down Syndrome:
- Down Syndrome affects 1 in 700 infants born each year.
- Children with Down Syndrome are born with an extra chromosome.
- Children with Down Syndrome often have cognitive and behavioral issues which vary widely but can cause shorter attention spans, slower processing speeds, and difficulty communicating.
- Recent research has shown that children with Down Syndrome can make good progress by being included in mainstream education alongside their peers.
- Children with Down Syndrome may take longer to learn. Breaking skills into smaller steps and repeating activities can aid in learning.
Cerebral Palsy:
- Approximately 30-50% of children with CP have some form of mental impairment that will affect learning. Don’t assume these children have learning disabilities, 50-70% don’t.
- Cerebral Palsy is a term used to describe a variety of movement and muscle disorders ranging from mild to severe.
- There may be pain and muscle stiffness experienced in children with Cerebral Palsy.
Teaching Music to Students with Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy
- Keep a Routine – Create a classroom routine and stick to it. Keep each lesson short and fun in order to maintain interest. Let students know what to expect and what the class rules and boundaries are. For instance, should they stand by their chair when they sing? Should they play an egg shaker as soon as they get it or wait until the music starts?
- Use Visuals – Post a visual for each activity where they can see it. Use pictures along with the words. Remind students which activity they have completed and which they are going to do using the visual. When teaching music, use as many visuals as possible.
- Embrace Multi-sensory Learning – Music is an auditory experience, but we can teach it using a variety of multi-sensory activities. Students can shape a quarter note using play dough. Students can feel the egg shaker in their hands. I used to sing a song with my students about under, side, and on top. I used a tambourine and an egg shaker to place the egg shaker on top, on the side, and below the tambourine. Students could also take turns doing this. Using PowerPoints and Youtube videos are great ways to add a visual element to what you are teaching as well.
- Break Tasks into Smaller Steps – Don’t be afraid to teach big ideas. All you have to do is break them down into smaller steps. Dissect the concepts you want to teach down into the smallest idea and spend a lesson or two focusing on that smaller idea. For example, dynamic can first be taught as loud and soft without the terminology of piano and forte. Let students experience loud and soft in many ways. They can play a drum loudly. They can play it softly. They can see a loud visual and a soft visual. Once they are able to recognize loud and soft, you can then attach the term piano and forte. This application works for everything.
- Repeat Lessons – One of the things that made teaching students with Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy so fun, was the natural enthusiasm they had for music. They will love to repeat their favorite activities and this is a great way to help them learn.
- Build Confidence – Emphasize the things that your students are doing well. Give lots of positive reinforcement and help them build confidence by adapting the lesson to suit them as individuals, recognizing the progress they’ve made so far. Use an IEP and discuss their progress with their classroom teacher and parents.
- Seek Out Professional Development Opportunities – Continue to develop your skillset by seeking professional development opportunities. Talk to your principal about attending classes offered in your area. Professional development can keep you in a positive mindset for teaching, help with teacher’s fatigue, and give you a community to lean on.
- Take Time to Help Students as Individuals – Students with Cerebral Palsy may need your help doing physical activities, but it’s worth it. If they have trouble holding an instrument for instance, this could be something that you work on together. I remember teaching one student who was deemed by most of the faculty to be unresponsive to any teaching. He just sat in the back of the room staring into space and I was shocked that no one even cared to include him. I literally put a shaker in this child’s hand and shook it for him. He was so filled with joy for being able to participate that the next class he started grunting towards me. (He couldn’t speak.) I figured out that he was trying to tell me he wanted to participate again. I had his desk moved to the front of the room so I could help him move while I taught the rest of the class. He learned to hold his own shaker by the end of the year. It was a great experience for both of us.
Teaching music to students with Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy can be a very rewarding experience. Treat them with love and kindness, showing them all the reasons you love music yourself, and they will soon grow an appreciation for music as well. Don’t ever underestimate your students. They will rise to the occasion every time. It can be fun trying to problem solve to find a solution to help them learn. Keep assessing your teaching strategy to adapt it for the needs of your individual students and always remember to have fun. What has worked for you in your classroom? Leave a comment below.
For more activities in the music classroom click on the following links.
References:
Brown Trial Firm. https://browntrialfirm.com/cerebral-palsy-lawyer/learning-disability/#:~:text=When%20a%20child%20is%20diagnosed,learning%20caused%20by%20physical%20impairments. (Accessed June 10, 2024)
Better Health. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/down-syndrome-and-learning (Accessed June 10, 2024)
Positive Action. November 7, 2023. https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/teaching-students-with-down-syndrome-strategies (Accessed June 10, 2024)