Exceptional Learners Deserve Music, Too!

Hello, GITC Friend,

We are writing tonight to share an exciting development in the project to which you have contributed. Special Learners Deserve Music, too," is making fantastic progress and you made it possible.

It is said that "much begets more," and we can tell that you that where your love and inpsiration are concerned, this is true. Your "generous contributions empowered GITC to formalize our Special Ed explorations into the GITC Sped Laboratory.

In these three classrooms, students who would normally be excluded from music class are thriving. Little Miriam who refused to make eye contact when she started school this year is now strumming like a rock star. Kelly is not just playing a shaker and strumming a ukulele - she is keeping time by clapping her feet! Isa and Hameed have come out of their shells and are playing ukuleles with their classmates. The miracles that music makes possible more than any other experience are happening each day. The team of Sped teachers - Val, Tony and Lisa- and their teacher's aides are doing an incredible job as is GITC teaching artist ,Jody Mulgrew! 

When we got the Sped Team together in December to share discoveries, the idea took hold that we should open this work to special educators from GITC programs around the country this summer. Planning is well underway now to invite teachers in mild to moderate classrooms, mod to severe classrooms, and resource rooms to learn to lead music adaptively each day. We are aiming for July 20-22nd and will hold the conference in San Diego County, location TBA soon.

Strumming and singing will be just one exciting strand of training at the conference. Adapative rhythm instructor George Thompson will be training teachers of students with autism and other sensory integration disorders how to work with the amazing Comfort Sound Technology and drum tables! Teachers with enough space and motivation to implement the drumming will be able, with George's help, to apply for a set of Comfort Sound drums through a grant program with Sesame Street! 

Finally, our friends at Beamz Interactive will be on hand to train teachers to operate their Beamz Unit, a very space-age device that links popular songs, rich instrumental tracks, computers and light beams to make it possible for students with very limited coordination to influnce the arrangements of songs by interacting with the light beams. Please check out the video below.

We hope to make this conference an annual event! 

Because of your support, we are building this body of work to share and a community of experts who can staff the conference. Our next step here is to assess the improvements and efforts to measure the impact of the work are just beginning.

By pulling together organizations who have been working independently to make a difference, we are eager to build a coalition of helpers whose combined knowledge and resources can make more pathways to musical inclusion possible for thousands of special learners. When like-minded special educators get this chance not only to learn, but to connect deeply with their colleagues in a positive and supportive environment, all kinds of good things are bound to happen. And you are the reason why. 

Thank you for standing up for students who need and deserve specialized education to realize their potential and find their joy. Please stay with us and together we can move the needle, bringing more ability, understanding, creativity, happiness and success to these important students!

With gratitude,

Jess 

Links:

• Remo Drum Table Series
• Beamz Interactive Demonstration