As a first year teacher, I had the privilege of meeting Steve. Steve was not one of my students; he was the son of a teacher at my school. Our school did not provide all the services that Steve needed so he traveled to a nearby, bigger school. Steve loved music, but had never been included in a music class. He would stop by my room and tell me "Jayhawk," (he called me Jayhawk knowing I liked K-State) "you call me when sick, I direct the band." I would always tell him that if I got sick I would let the principal know Steve would be my sub.

In my 2nd year, we got a nice Yamaha Clavinova piano with the disk drive and the play along feature. Steve loved playing "Pop Goes the Weasel" on the piano. He would make his dad sit and listen and every time it got to the "POP" the keyboard lights would flash and it would make all sorts of sounds and Steve's dad would jump every time. It got to the point that Steve didn't even need the lights to play the song. This got me wondering what else Steve could do musically.

Since Steve had always talked about directing the band, I decided it was time for him to do it. Steve learned how to do a simple 4/4 pattern. We talked about putting our hands up so the band knew to bring their instruments up and then looking to make sure everyone was ready. Steve would count them off "one, two, ready, and" and the band would start playing. His favorite song was "YMCA" so he would always conduct it at basketball games.

Steve had never been included in a music class. Why include special needs students in performance ensembles? What are some of the risks? What are the rewards?

Why inclusion?

Inclusion of special needs students is not always easy. I have heard tons of reasons against inclusion; they will make us sound bad, it's too much work, we'll get bad ratings, I don't know what to do with them. These are all concerns that I have thought about and continue to struggle with. Yes, it may require a little more at times with rewriting parts and maybe even devising a different notation system that a student can understand. What I learned in the process is that I had to think about my instruction on a whole different level. Figuring out how to present the same information on a different level not only benefitted my special needs students but some of my regular students as well.

One thing I started noticing was the amount of peer teaching that started to take place. My kids would take the special needs kids under their wing and start teaching them. They were actually doing more teaching than I was. Matching students up and letting them do the modeling and teaching made a huge difference, not only in my classroom environment but in the entire school climate as a whole. Students who were confined to a classroom at the end of the hall and who no one talked to were now a part of our school. Kids started talking to them before and after school, they would ask them to sit with them at lunch, and our special needs students started attending other classes and one even served as manager for the volleyball team.

Who to talk to?

The most important part of inclusion is communication. The director, the parents, the special education teachers, the paraprofessionals, and other support staff need to all be on the same page. Everyone needs to understand what the expectations are and what their roles are in the process.

The first people to talk to are the parents. What are their expectations? Sometimes parents aren't the most realistic about their students abilities, so dealing with their expectations can sometimes be like walking a tightrope. I found as long as I approached it from the standpoint of always wanting their student in a position to be successful, the parents were pretty supportive. Sometimes this meant working towards the goal of performing through demonstration of a number of skills, one of the first being able to show good concert etiquette during class and at a real performance. Social skills, especially with special needs students must be taught, they may not pick up on social cues and rules that we naturally follow. The parents also need to understand that they may need to help with practice at home or they may need to attend events when support from para-professionals is not available.

The next people to talk to are the special education teachers. Get the student's IEP and if you have questions, ASK! If you have the student in class, they are required to supply you with an IEP or an IEP at a glance at the very least. Use their expertise and work together to make the best situation for the student. I always asked what goals I could work on the student with in class as well. Most of them will have basic life skill goals that can be accomplished in the performance ensemble setting.

Next, talk to the paraprofessionals who work with the student and will be attending class with them. Besides their parents, paraprofessionals spend the most time with these students and know them extremely well. They can be the best defense against a meltdown you can have. Many of them, however, may feel uncomfortable or feel like they don't know enough about music to be of help. I have worked with some absolutely amazing paraprofessionals who needed a lot of reassurance that they could survive being a band para. The most important thing is communicating with them what you need them to do. If the student does fine with the help of peers, then their role may just be evaluation of goals and redirection when needed.

I learned about the last group to talk to through a happy accident. Instead of doing a school wide problem solving activity, I had a special needs student take our marching band charts and create a line drawing of what each set should look like. Later that week, the occupational therapist who worked with that student came and thanked me for having him work on one of his OT goals. Evidently, looking at an object and creating a line drawing is something she had been working on with him. If the student gets any OT, physical therapy, speech or other services, be sure to talk to those people as well. They may be able to help you, or you may be able to help them.

Tips from the Trenches and What Worked for Me

As stated before, make sure everyone involved is on the same page. Miscommunication can cause huge problems and can create a bad situation for the student.

Second, be consistent!! If you have a rehearsal plan posted, follow it! If there is a big change coming be sure to prepare your special needs students in advance. Before concerts, either the special education teacher or I would take the students over to the high school and show them the auditorium. We would let them walk around, go on stage and look out with the stage lights on so they would know what to expect. If possible, let them attend another ensemble's rehearsal so they can see and hear what a group playing on stage looks and sounds like.

Third, find what works for your students. I always felt bad for my little "guinea pigs" because I was always trying new things or asking them to try new things. It was amazing when we found something that worked for that student and opened a door for them. Don't be afraid to experiment.

As with all students, it is important to remember "it's never about what it's about." There will be bad days. Nine times out of ten, it won't be because of anything you have done. A lot of the kids I have worked with have a hard time letting things go sometimes. Something could have happened yesterday, last week, last month, or even last year that will stick in their memory and ruin their day. It may be better for them and for the ensemble that they sit out a day until they can focus better.

Grading... the million dollar question

How do I grade special needs students in my class? How do you grade your other students? Are there benchmarks or skills that they are graded on? Grade your special needs kids on benchmarks or skills. Do you grade your students based on their ability and their level of growth? Grade your special needs students based on their ability level and their growth. I developed a grading rubric with the help of the special education teacher. It would include some social goals such as being on time, having all necessary materials, following the correct procedures at the beginning and end of class, etc. The rubric would also include musical goals based on their level. For some students that might be listening quietly for a set number of minutes, for some it might be keeping a steady beat, for others it might be correctly playing their assigned part. I don't see Steve as much as I used to, but whenever I do he still calls me Jayhawk and still talks about directing the band. I often wonder what Steve would have been able to do if he had more musical training at a younger age. I bet he would still be willing to sub for me if I get sick.