elaine
20-Sep-06, 19:46
I had a major breakthrough at work today and I'm so chuffed that I just had to talk about it!
I work in a high school teaching music and found out this year that a pupil with Down's Syndrome would be in one of my first year classes. We had a meeting at the start about his general ability and it turned out to be pre-level A (pre-primary 1) reading and writing. His parents are insistant that he attends the school even though learning support advised that there was a school up the road much more suited to his needs.
I thought to myself, "Blimey, my first years start off with a unit of keyboard then guitar, then drumkit - What am I going to do with him?? Help!"
After two weeks it was clear that he did not have the dexterity for keyboard and did not really understand letter names. We had a fab supply music teacher in who had done some Special Ed and she told me that he would most likely understand colours better than letters and a bigger instrument like the xylophone would be easier for him etc, etc.
So......... I went on to devise a very basic colour-coded tune for him. Today I stuck coloured dots on the xylophone and gave him the "colour-chart" for Merrily We Roll Along. Lo and behold! One period later he could play tune perfectly (with some help from the assistant who showed him what line he was on).
I was absolutely delighted with him and gave him a Merit for his success and next week he will perform it to his class (who can't wait to hear what he has been working on all this time!). If he manages to perform in front of them I'm thinking of giving him a spot in the X-mas show - I'm hoping this will be a great confidence booster, what do you all think? Does anyone out there have experience of kids with Down's? If so, any advise would be gratefully received!
I work in a high school teaching music and found out this year that a pupil with Down's Syndrome would be in one of my first year classes. We had a meeting at the start about his general ability and it turned out to be pre-level A (pre-primary 1) reading and writing. His parents are insistant that he attends the school even though learning support advised that there was a school up the road much more suited to his needs.
I thought to myself, "Blimey, my first years start off with a unit of keyboard then guitar, then drumkit - What am I going to do with him?? Help!"
After two weeks it was clear that he did not have the dexterity for keyboard and did not really understand letter names. We had a fab supply music teacher in who had done some Special Ed and she told me that he would most likely understand colours better than letters and a bigger instrument like the xylophone would be easier for him etc, etc.
So......... I went on to devise a very basic colour-coded tune for him. Today I stuck coloured dots on the xylophone and gave him the "colour-chart" for Merrily We Roll Along. Lo and behold! One period later he could play tune perfectly (with some help from the assistant who showed him what line he was on).
I was absolutely delighted with him and gave him a Merit for his success and next week he will perform it to his class (who can't wait to hear what he has been working on all this time!). If he manages to perform in front of them I'm thinking of giving him a spot in the X-mas show - I'm hoping this will be a great confidence booster, what do you all think? Does anyone out there have experience of kids with Down's? If so, any advise would be gratefully received!