Music Education for Students with Disabilities

Draper, Amanda Ruth

doi:https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-sjrg-md64

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Music Education for Students with Disabilities

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This multi-study dissertation explores experiences of music education for students with disabilities with a particular focus on students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is comprised of three distinct papers including two qualitative studies and a literature review. In the first study, I collaborated with Dr. Sarah J. Bartolome to examine the culture of a university undergraduate volunteer organization offering music instruction for individuals with disabilities. In my second study, I examined stakeholder perspectives of music education for two students with ASD in an inclusion context. The literature review explored general education research on best practices for teaching students with ASD, offering recommendations for future lines of research in music education. The findings of these studies illuminate issues of access and barriers to music learning for students with disabilities. Further, they offer evidence of practice and its benefits for these students and suggest a way forward regarding music education research for this population. Paper 1: Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education: An Ethnography of an Individual Music Instruction Program for Students with Disabilities Co-authored with Sarah J. Bartolome, PhD This three-year ethnography explored the culture of Northwestern University’s Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE), a university undergraduate volunteer organization offering music instruction for individuals with disabilities. We examined the organization and its impact on students, parents, and volunteers through the lens of the social relational model of disability (Reindal, 2008). Findings clustered around three pillars of organizational values: Ability, Community, and Service. The organization’s philosophy of ability cultivated a community that acknowledged the impairments of the students while actively seeking ways to breakdown the socially imposed barriers to musical learning that were disabling to them. The program filled a need where access to music education had previously been limited or denied. Undergraduate volunteers’ experiences raised their awareness of inequity for people with disabilities and motivated them to consider ways to serve this community in their future careers. Findings illustrate the potential impact of a social relational model on music education philosophy and practice, suggesting a need for music educators to challenge implicit beliefs about students’ capabilities and actively inquire into the ways in which music education contexts may be inherently disabling. Paper 2: “It Needs to Be There, Always and Forever”: Stakeholder Perspectives of the Role of Music Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in an Inclusive Context The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore stakeholders’ perspectives of the purpose and benefits of education in music for students with ASD and what factors contributed to music education opportunity for this population. Three themes emerged from the data: The Not So A-Typical Benefits, A Focus on Strengths, and A Culture of Inclusivity. Factors related to the educators and school community had significant impact on these students’ experiences and are further explored through the lens of an Ethic of Hospitality (Derrida & Dufourmantelle, 2000; Ruitenberg, 2001). Elucidating the beliefs of stakeholders (including music educators, the special education team, administration, and parents) regarding music education for students with ASD in an inclusion setting may offer insights into best practices and ways music teacher education programs and inservice professional development could better prepare teachers for their work with this population. Paper 3: Evidence of Best Practice in the Education of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Considering a Path Forward in Music Education Research While a significant body of literature is available offering best practices for teaching music to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a lack of supporting empirical research. The purpose of this literature review was to examine empirical research conducted between 2013-2019 that studied best practices for teaching students with ASD in general education settings and explore how it could inform future research in the field of music education. I reviewed 47 publications from general education that provided empirical support for best practices for teaching students with ASD. Findings are organized in four sections: Teacher Directed Approaches to Instruction, Intervention Tools, Peer-Mediated Instruction, and The Autistic Voice. Examining this literature provides insights into unique research methods pertaining to data collection with students with ASD and future lines of research related to instruction and support for students with ASD in music contexts.

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