CJ Replay: Special Needs Students in the Choir

(An excerpt from the Choral Journal article, “Adapting Choral Rehearsals for Students with Learning Disabilities” by Vicki R. Lind)

 

       Although there has not been a great deal of research specifically on choral music participation, it is likely that choral music directors working in today's schools will have singers with learning disabilities enrolled in their ensembles. Unfortunately, very little information is available to help choral directors meet the needs of these students. The purpose of this article is to explore different types of learning disabilities and examine rehearsal strategies designed to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities.

       In a broad sense, a learning disability is a disorder that affects people's ability either to interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. Whereas some students with SpLD may have difficulty reading, others may have problems hearing and interpreting sounds. Because learning disabilities manifest themselves in many different ways, it is difficult to discuss and define the disorder. In fact, experts in the field of learning disabilities do not agree on what constitutes the condition. There is, however, agreement that children with SpLD may have difficulty processing written or spoken language and that this difficulty creates problems in the classroom.

       The problems associated with SpLD in the general classroom obviously carry over to the choral setting. For example, students who have difficulty processing written language may experience a great deal of trouble understanding a choral score. Likewise, children with auditory processing problems may find choral music activities extremely frustrating. The difficulties associated with learning disabilities can affect a singer's ability to participate in a choral rehearsal. Choral directors can help all singers-including those with specific learning disabilities become better musicians. By learning more about SpLD and adapting the rehearsal to meet the needs of diverse learners, choral directors can successfully include singers with learning disabilities in the choral ensemble.

 

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