If you ever get the opportunity, take the time to sit quietly and observe special needs children during music exploration. It is remarkable how every child reacts to the music in his/her own particular way. It is through the child’s responses to various genres, rhythm, pitch and volume intensity that the facilitator learns about the child’s level of awareness, attention span, communication skills and much more. With the knowledge gained from observing the child closely the presenter/teacher can design, structure and present music in such a way that maximum brain stimulation and skill development can be facilitated.
While exploring music with your child it is important to have a specific focus, e.g. expecting the child to be verbally expressive or anticipate favourite parts in a familiar piece of music. Achieve maximum participation from your child:
- repeat the same songs over and over
- use different rhythms and speed to help the child stay focused
- make use of props during music time for multi-sensory stimulation
- also use your voice as an instrument
- wait and give enough time for your child to respond when pausing during music
Music is a great tool to using in special needs education, stimulation and development and can be accessible to all. The thing that makes music so magnificent is that it doesn’t need to be a costly affair. Instruments can be made with everyday objects and elements from nature, e.g. sticks, rocks, small stones, sand shakers, etc. Let’s make music with our children all day long and have endless freedom in our creativity, exploration of sound, using our voices in different ways while having great fun!