Introduction
According to Kolb, “Music is considered by some to be a language system – a language with powerful appeal” (Curtis, 2007, p.13). This beautiful and powerful language can be beneficial to all students in a variety of ways. Through the years, teachers have utilized music to both instruct and calm students. Particularly in the inclusive classroom, music can be used to alter mood and assess emotional problems. Through collaborating with all personnel, educators can learn how to meet the educational and emotional needs of their students while integrating music in exciting ways. Simple ways of incorporating music into instruction can include background music during work time or using musical activities to reinforce a concept. While …show more content…
Particularly in special education, “teachers have used music to alter mood and assess emotional problems” (Sze, Yu, 2004, p.2). While music can be beneficial for all students, it can be especially helpful for children who have experienced trauma. Specifically, this therapeutic use of music can help students who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who have experienced trauma need help to self-regulate their emotions after the fact. Music can have a calming effect that helps students to regulate their emotions quickly. It is very important to realize that, “teachers are seldom music therapists, and very few are trained musicians” (Foran, 2009, p.57). Since this is often the case, it is important that teachers realize that there are simple ways to meet the needs of these students without being a therapist or a trained musician. By adding music to the classroom throughout the day, teachers can assist all students including those who have experienced trauma. Certain types and genres of music can be pertinent to use in these situations. Classical music and jazz with their calming tones and rhythmic patterns can “aid in attention, emotional regulation, and memory” (Foran, 2009, p.57). Other ways to assist students with post-traumatic stress disorder or other emotional disorders involve using “music activities that require a member to imitate the body movement or rhythmic pattern …show more content…
Studies have proven that, “Autistic children have eliminated their monotonic speech by singing songs composed to match the rhythm, stress, flow, and inflection of the sentence followed by a gradual fading of the musical cues” (Sze, Yu, 2004, p.1). When working with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, “it is a widely held belief that early intervention is crucial” (Wiseman, 2015, p.7). While it has been difficult to measure the effectiveness of music as an intervention, it is important to think about sensory sensitivity. According to Darrow, “children with autism might be particularly sensitive to high or loud sounds, when presented with this type of sound, they will shriek, hold their ears, or be aggressive in some way” (Darrow, 2009, p. 3). Therefore, it is important for teachers to learn how to adapt in order to meet the needs of their students. It has been shown, however, that when teachers used songs as teaching aids, children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, “ showed considerable gains in learning and retaining words”(Wiseman, 2015, p.11). Furthermore, music has proven to be beneficial in the classroom for children of all ages and
According to Kolb, “Music is considered by some to be a language system – a language with powerful appeal” (Curtis, 2007, p.13). This beautiful and powerful language can be beneficial to all students in a variety of ways. Through the years, teachers have utilized music to both instruct and calm students. Particularly in the inclusive classroom, music can be used to alter mood and assess emotional problems. Through collaborating with all personnel, educators can learn how to meet the educational and emotional needs of their students while integrating music in exciting ways. Simple ways of incorporating music into instruction can include background music during work time or using musical activities to reinforce a concept. While …show more content…
Particularly in special education, “teachers have used music to alter mood and assess emotional problems” (Sze, Yu, 2004, p.2). While music can be beneficial for all students, it can be especially helpful for children who have experienced trauma. Specifically, this therapeutic use of music can help students who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Children who have experienced trauma need help to self-regulate their emotions after the fact. Music can have a calming effect that helps students to regulate their emotions quickly. It is very important to realize that, “teachers are seldom music therapists, and very few are trained musicians” (Foran, 2009, p.57). Since this is often the case, it is important that teachers realize that there are simple ways to meet the needs of these students without being a therapist or a trained musician. By adding music to the classroom throughout the day, teachers can assist all students including those who have experienced trauma. Certain types and genres of music can be pertinent to use in these situations. Classical music and jazz with their calming tones and rhythmic patterns can “aid in attention, emotional regulation, and memory” (Foran, 2009, p.57). Other ways to assist students with post-traumatic stress disorder or other emotional disorders involve using “music activities that require a member to imitate the body movement or rhythmic pattern …show more content…
Studies have proven that, “Autistic children have eliminated their monotonic speech by singing songs composed to match the rhythm, stress, flow, and inflection of the sentence followed by a gradual fading of the musical cues” (Sze, Yu, 2004, p.1). When working with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, “it is a widely held belief that early intervention is crucial” (Wiseman, 2015, p.7). While it has been difficult to measure the effectiveness of music as an intervention, it is important to think about sensory sensitivity. According to Darrow, “children with autism might be particularly sensitive to high or loud sounds, when presented with this type of sound, they will shriek, hold their ears, or be aggressive in some way” (Darrow, 2009, p. 3). Therefore, it is important for teachers to learn how to adapt in order to meet the needs of their students. It has been shown, however, that when teachers used songs as teaching aids, children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, “ showed considerable gains in learning and retaining words”(Wiseman, 2015, p.11). Furthermore, music has proven to be beneficial in the classroom for children of all ages and