Work Type
Article
Publication Date
2023
Department
Music Education
Keywords
accessible music education, pre-service music education, universal design for learning, differentiated instruction
Abstract
The percentage of students in U.S. public schools who are classified as stu- dents with disabilities under the Individ- uals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been steadily increasing in recent years, and continues to grow. Unfortu- nately, music educators are not adequate- ly prepared to teach disabled students. Pre-service music teacher education pro- grams do not provide course content in the pedagogy of accessible music educa- tion. Any coursework related to students with disabilities that is provided by these programs is limited to general studies of the historical and legal aspects of special education. As a result, music teachers end up feeling frustrated and discouraged when they cannot effectively teach dis- abled students, and the disabled students are deprived of meaningful music learn- ing and musical experiences. The newly emerging field of accessible music edu- cation holds promise for music teacher education. The teaching strategies, ap- proaches, and frameworks of accessible music education help educators to better reach all students – not just students with disabilities. This paper examines accessi- ble music education as it takes place at the graduate level at one institution in the U.S. It concludes with recommenda- tions for including two evidence-based, long standing frameworks for accessible music education in undergraduate music teacher preparation programs.
Recommended Citation
Bernard, Rhoda, "Necessary for some, and helpful for all: preparing music educators to reach every student" (2023). Faculty Works.
https://remix.berklee.edu/faculty-works/64
Comments
This article was published open access in Orfeu under a CC BY license.