1. Use Silence
Once we know a piece of music, we notice when it is interrupted. You can use unexpected pauses in music to get the attention of students whose attention has wandered.
Once you have their attention back, you can resume exactly where you left off – like the pause button on a tape recorder. No verbal cues necessary, just silence.
2. Make Sure the Lyrics Fit the Music
When you are using songs to teach academic concepts especially to students with language delays – be sure thai the words and phrases in the song are pronounced as they would be in speech.
Often, when songs are “piggybacked” (new words with a familiar melody) the words get distorted. Many children with special needs learn speech through singing; if they learn to pronounce words incorrectly, it may take a long time to unlearn.
3. Use Quality Instruments
Rather than buying a “bargain” box filled with instruments that have a bad sound quality as well as being breakable (or even dangerous), choose a few high-quality instruments that your students can share.
4. Use Music with Discretion
Do you hear your refrigerator buzzing? Most of us don’t -because we’re so used to it, we block it out. If music is an effective tool, use it when you most need it. Playing music all day won’t make children smarter – it will just teach them to tune it out.
5. Include by Adapting
A few simple adaptations will help in including children with special needs in regular education music settings. If the class is learning to play the recorder, for example, the music teacher can identify one or two “pedal” tones for each piece: the child with special needs can play just those two notes on a recorder, or on a resonator bell, for example.
Children who cannot participate in singing can play rhythm instruments to accompany their peers.
6. Use Live Music
You can sing! Live music is, in most cases, much more effective than recorded music. If you sing the songs, you can change the tempo and volume according to the mood and behaviour of the class, you can pause to allow time for responses or to cue attention, and you can change the words to fit your lesson.