Music lovers and enthusiasts have all the rights to learn their chosen musical instrument despite of their impairment, as long as such will not completely forbid them to play such. Various tips and instructional guides are available on the internet and some libraries that will give music teachers the resources to be effective in handling special learners.
Let us say in the case of Andrea Boccelli, a great tenor and musician who was diagnosed with glaucoma and lost his sight at an early age of fourteen; if not for his music teacher, we might not hear his tranquil and heart warming voice. More so, he reached success in music because he had such self-motivation and certain love for music. And these had made it all possible.
Generally speaking, special learners are regarded as those students, who either have cognitive, physical, mental or social abilities and disabilities. These groups of special individuals are faced with different learning challenges. However, through the professional assistance of music teachers and enthusiasts as well as effective and efficient music teachers’ resources, they are able to comprehend, adopt and adjust to such learning situations. Also, acquisition of skills and knowledge has been possible through these resources for music teachers.
Great examples of music teachers’ resources are those from the Internet such as tips and inputs from various music teacher sites, personal experiences of the music lovers and experts themselves, other extensive techniques and methods of music teachers, and some findings from different music researches. When music teachers are in need of such reliable and effective resources, they may adopt any of those mentioned sources and make each a part of their music teaching strategies.
Music teachers’ resources truly come in variation. You may actually choose from different available resources nowadays. However, you have to bear in mind that it takes a lot of analysis and discernment to find out which among those resources would be appropriate and effective for each special learner. Remember that as a music teacher, your role does not end in mere teaching music but most of all, in making them discover their talents and feel that they are treated as typical and average students.
Though it may be quite difficult to deal with special learners, music teachers will then feel and realize that teaching them can be very rewarding. Your time, efforts and hard works will soon pay off especially if you have seen your learners succeed and unleash their music talents and inclinations.
Furthermore, when these special learners tend to appreciate their music teachers, have made them their real mentors, and have considered them as their source of motivation and inspiration, these music educators can proudly say that being one has been a blessing, thus gives them such feelings of fulfillment and self-worth.
Good music teaching resources and studio policies are indeed necessary as they intend to create a conducive and healthy learning environment. Music teachers must set good and strict business principles and classroom practices so as to eliminate confusion, inconsistency and misunderstanding among studio clients, students, parents as well as the entire teaching personnel.
Certainly, as you decide to put up your own music studio, your studio policies and resources must also be ready for posting and dissemination. Therefore, you have to devise, update and implement them consistently and reliably.
Studio Policy: Basics, Advantages and Benefits
A studio policy is a set of written rules and regulations that has to be strictly observed and implemented. Private music studio owners as well as music teachers must specify and define all points and items in the studio policy itself so as to have everything clearly explained and discussed. Studio policy also lessens the risks and circumstances where a problem or a conflict may likely arise.
Though some studio policies differ in concept and context, they must include citations on various areas like fees, payment schemes, work and class schedules, class requirements, lesson preparations, service arrangements and other relevant issues necessary in managing your own music studio.
Music Teaching Resources
As studio policy is made as specific as music teaching resources are, tips on how to make and construct such are certainly essential. Setting a good studio policy is as good as generating music teaching resources. Since these two have to be both up-to-date, concise, concrete and complete, music teachers must keep in mind that rigid research really plays a vital role in coming up with effective and efficient resources and policies in music teaching. Such research can be done in just few clicks – using the power of technology and innovation.
Using informational documents and tools, citing insights and experiences, writing studio policy, motivating social and classroom participation as well as giving tips and advices are all great teaching techniques in driving your way to academic success through music education.
These professional and business means: music teaching resources and studio policies are both important in meeting the goal of the institution. Therefore, you have to be sure that they are truly focused and relevant in teaching and learning music.
Stick to Your Music Teaching Resources and Studio Policies
Music teachers have to be consistent and prompt both in their teaching and managerial strategies. This is to establish reliability and credibility not just for their profession but also for their relationship among students and studio clients. As they stick to their rules, policies, resources and techniques, people around them would be used to those concepts and would be able to apply such in daily activities and endeavors.
Remember that your policies and resources in music education are as important and as beneficial as your motivation and willingness to disseminate and employ to the learners and the clients as well as to implement in their future dealings and ventures.
When I ask parents, “Why do your children need music education?” I often get a generalized answer like, “My child studies for himself.” Drawing from my own life experience, I can tell you this with absolute confidence: the more clearly and more precisely we know what we want, the quicker and easier we get it.
To understand the advantage of musical education, let’s talk about the music lessons in more detail, beginning with the most simple and popular art – the art of singing.
The voice is given to a person from the moment he is born as the means of a congenital, unconditional, protective reflex. Later, the person learns to use the sounds produced to develop a speaking and then a singing voice. By singing songs or humming tunes, children have an opportunity to accumulate musical impressions and acoustical experience, develop an ear for music, and learn to use the natural musical instrument, the voice. The skilful use of a singing voice is one of the main advantages for the development of child’s musical abilities. Even simply singing for your own pleasure can bring a lot of positive moments into your life. Also, singing activates the functioning in the left (logic) and right (figurative) hemispheres of a brain. As a result, the working capacity of the child increases. Singing also promotes attention and improves the mood.
How can singing positively influence children’s health? Singing actively develops and strengthens the respiratory system, which is especially important at the early age. It also naturally trains the muscles of the throat and vocal chords. Because the respiratory system is closely connected with the cardiovascular system, the child, being engaged in respiratory gymnastics during singing, thereby strengthens his health. Singing also promotes the development of musical abilities such as hearing, memory, sense of rhythm, and time/tempo.
Many of you have probably heard that singing can cure such speech impediments such as stuttering. I can confirm this fact with confidence – by using my own techniques, I helped one of my daughters eliminate this problem within two years. The fact is that while singing, words are sounded lingeringly, which helps the child pronounce separate sounds and syllables more precisely. In other words, singing is the cure to many language and speech difficulties, such as stuttering! Well-chosen drills combined with a child’s desire to get rid of an unpleasant impediment are the keystone to success.
In addition, proper speech characterizes correct thinking. Thus, after eliminating a stutter, your child’s susceptibility to general studying and learning at public school will improve due to the resultant emotional liberation.
Children who sing regularly are also very focused. They easily learn foreign languages, they are more diligent in comparison to other children, and they are able to study and absorb any training much easier.
Singing in vocal ensemble or choir is also beneficial. This way, children get to develop additional qualities as musicians. For example, harmonic hearing is a skill in which a person hears and distinguishes a number of tones that sound simultaneously, as well as the sense of ensemble. (Ensemble, from the French, means “together.”) By becoming part of a choir or vocal ensemble, the child starts to understand and feel his own importance and power. Besides, who would scoff at the ability to have a beautiful and well-trained voice? Let’s admit it: it would be very pleasant to talk with such a person – and hopefully, hear him sing,
(To be continued)
