{"id":570,"date":"2015-03-03T15:00:59","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T21:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=570"},"modified":"2015-11-09T08:06:50","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T14:06:50","slug":"best-practices-for-inclusion-of-disabled-students-in-the-music-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2015\/03\/03\/best-practices-for-inclusion-of-disabled-students-in-the-music-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Practices for Inclusion of Disabled Students in the Music Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Dale A. Witte<\/em><\/p>\n

The WELS Elementary and Secondary Music Teacher and Inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most WELS teachers do not have the luxury of having a special education teacher in their building with them, let alone having one in their classroom (Enser, 2013<\/a>). Recent graduates of Martin Luther College have had the benefit of access to special education course offerings in which they are taught about students with disabilities and how they can best be served in the WELS Lutheran elementary or secondary school.\u00a0Future graduates of the recently announced MLC special education major<\/a> will be much more prepared to educate children with disabilities than veteran teachers have been.<\/p>\n

WELS music teachers are educated at MLC first and foremost in the principles of what it means to be a good teacher. Add to that their desire to specialize in the field of music education, and they become perfectly poised to teach the whole child, including the disabled.<\/p>\n

The WELS music teacher needs to have at their fingertips best practices for inclusion of students with disabilities so that these student are not hindered in any way in their Christian education. This is in keeping with the command of Jesus in Matthew 19:4 to \u201cLet the little children come to me, and do not hinder them<\/em>, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benefits and Barriers to Successful Inclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

At first glance, it may seem daunting for the general education or music teacher who hasn\u2019t been trained in special education courses and techniques to include students with disabilities in their regular classes, choir, or band, but there are numerous hidden benefits to including students with disabilities in these classes.\u00a0In their book Music in Special Education<\/em><\/a> (2010, 2nd ed.), authors Mary Adamek and Alice-Ann Darrow noted the following three benefits:<\/p>\n