If you have never heard Steven Blier perform live, please
put this experience on your bucket list. Steven Blier is a co-founder of the
New York Festival of Song and coaches singers at the Juilliard School. He collaborates and records with top artists. (http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/portraits/faculty/archive/2011-12/1112.php)
His knowledge of songs is bested only by his joyous ability to play them. He gets on stage by riding a mobility scooter
to the piano, at which time he gets to the bench with a little assistance. From
that point on, you will completely forget that he has a debilitating muscular
disease.
Because he learned to play well early in life, he has strong
neuromuscular connections already in place. He continues to perform in order to
keep these connections strong, and because he loves performing, but he does
need some help getting around. Would you want him in your studio?
A student with mobility challenges is going to require a
level of access that you may or may not have at present. My studio does not
have a ramp, for example, so I would need to build one and make other changes
to the entryway. I would probably need to clear some pieces of furniture out of
the way, and I don’t have a bathroom with handicap access. This may be a student I would choose to teach
at his home rather than in my studio, or I may able to search out a grant for
equal access modifications.
However, if I were introduced to a student with muscular
control problems who had no past history of pianistic development, I would have
to think about the probability of his being able to achieve much as a pianist.
In that case, I would weigh both the architectural mobility issues and the determination
of appropriate goals.
As you can see, when deciding how best to work with a
potential student, it is necessary to
understand what your instrument requires and the physical set-up of your studio.
I once had a Vietnam veteran in my university piano class. He was a solid
percussionist, despite having lost several fingers in an explosion. Could he
play the piano? Yes. Did he require modifications to his piano assignments?
Definitely. But he could be very successful as a percussionist even with a few
missing digits. He also didn’t require any changes to the physical set-up of
the piano lab or the percussion room, unlike a student who requires mobility
assistance.
Here are examples of some of the types of challenges a
student may present:
• Medical:
disease, congenital impairment, catastrophic injury
• Social/emotional: interaction problems, behavioral problems,
unsupportive family or personal environment, inappropriate response to learning
or performing situations
• Processing and perception: limited
ability to process sensory input effectively, attention disorders, color
blindness, auditory processing disorders
• Cognitive impairment: learning
disability (Dyslexia is usually considered a learning disability, although
people with dyslexia may be very “intelligent” in the traditional sense, think
Warren Buffet), brain disorders, low IQ
• Communication: speech impediments,
stuttering, hearing impairment that affects speech and ability to follow
directions, low verbal and syntactic skills due to motor limitations or other
neurological impairment
Be aware that some students will demonstrate more than one
challenge. Also, be aware that the student’s personal motivation is key to
success. Reading all you can read about
autism won’t necessarily result in your autistic student wanting to learn what
you want to teach him or her. For some special needs students, music is the
best part of their lives, but not for all.
In the next blog, I will present some ideas about working
with students with autism. Stay tuned.
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