1. It is natural to be d i f f e r e N t.
“FESTIVAL of the MINDS”
Arlington Public Schools
Kenmore Middle School
June 27, 2014
Maritza Sadowsky, D.M.A.
“There are no completely disabled or highly gifted people.
There are only individual dispositions toward receptive, reproductive and productive musicality.”
It is natural to be d i f f e r e N t.

2. “The disabled person also does not live on bread alone
but has the same right to enjoy life
as the so-called normal or talented.”
The right to participation.
 The right to have ACCESS to the world.

3. PURPOSE: to share classroom music activities for elementary children diagnosed with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in grades K-5 who are in a self-contained classroom (SCC).
This is a dynamic and malleable presentation where your contributions are welcome!!
I have organized the materials for this workshop as follows:
overview of the music lesson plans format relevant to music concepts;
video of students’ performances in class
I have either created and/or adapted activities from different music curricula.
There are not many sources where one can find information on music lesson plans for children with ASD in a SCC.
These activities in this presentation can be used by music teachers who were not trained as music therapists and find themselves in the position of teaching children with ASD in a SCC.
It does not attempt to share music lesson plans to cure children who suffer from severe autism disorder through music intervention.
Participants will share music activities and will receive samples of music lesson plans used by myself.

4. Lesson Plan Prelude What do I want students to learn?
What teaching and learning activities will I use?
How will I check for understanding?

5. SUGGESTION of a LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Greeting Song
Music Concept (WHAT-today we will learn about…)
Activities (HOW)
Wrap up / Comments
Resting
Line up

6. Hey, Hello, Bonjour, Guten Tag
GREETING SONGS
Welcome to the Day
Hello, There
We Clap and Sing Hello
Gilly, Good Morning
Bonjour, mes Amis
Buenos Dias
Hey, Hello, Bonjour, Guten Tag

7. MUSIC CONCEPTS (WHAT) Beat (pat the beat of a tune/song)
Rhythm (clap the word rhythm of a phrase/verse; clap word rhythm of the days of the week/months of the year, etc; read icons for 1 or 2 sounds to a beat; clap/tap 1 or 2 sounds to a beat; move to the strong beat; rhythm patterns associated with animals, flowers, etc); sending a rhythm (cordless phone); memory match
Melody (melodic patterns; signal to show aural recognition of high/low pitch; move body to match pitches heard; move hands with Curwen signs to show aural recognition of pitches like sol, mi, la, etc; clap the words); fill in the words for learning a new song; memory match
Harmony (melodic / rhythmic patterns); each person plays two boomwhackers; Where is Pumkpin? For monophony (melody only), homophony (melody and accompaniment), polyphonic (cannon)
Meter (skip to show aural recognition of a rhythm pattern for walk (ta ta ta ta), gallop (ta ti-ta ti-ta, etc); march to the beat of music in 2/4 or 6/8.
Dynamics (louder x softer, e.g. play/sing louder and softer)
Tempo (faster x slower) = use pictures of animals e.g. turtle x rabbit, etc and associate with the story, then play a fast tune x a slow tune; play/sing faster and slower)
Form (Round, AB, ABA, Rondo, and repeat sign; move to show same and different sections)
Pitch (higher x lower)
Solfege (sol-fa, Curwen Hand Signs)
Timbre (Tone Color, e.g. raise hands to show aural recognition of speaking/hum/shout/whisper)
Notation

8. OTHER CURRICULA
Multicultural
Interdisciplinary

9. TECHNIQUES – Students respond different for teaching methods
TECHNIQUES – Students respond different for teaching methods. Lesson plans for children with autism must recognize that these children have specific needs that must be addressed.
Adaptation
Repetition
Motivation (e.g. welcome to the ‘night’)
Engaging – so they don’t feel like work
Visual Learners
Using manipulatives
Minimize distractions (squeak chair, light, sounds, etc)
Tapping into abilities (difficult using a pen, then use computer, etc)
Recognizing abilities (high x low function)
Instruments
Teach first Song, then add Body Percussion
Rewards (penny board)
Enjoyable (are we all having fun?) – the best way to keep children working at something is to make sure that they enjoy it!

10. ACTIVITIES (HOW): BODY AWARENESS
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Whoops, Johnny (start with fingers/go in different directions/canon?)
Where is Thumbkin
Painting with brushes on body (back of each other) and air while listening to a tune-teacher signals to change the part of the body (short x long strokes)

11. ACTIVITIES (HOW): BOOKS & SOUND STORIES
Peter and the Wolf (show pictures, students pick up their own choice of instruments for the story; high and low)
The Wheels on the Bus
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Happy Birthday, Moon
Song Stories (with instruments) – based on their own ideas
Toy by Tom Paxtor’s
The Waterhole Book
Rain: rain-wind-thunder-lightning-sun-fog (add drawings for illustrations)
Swimmy
Make own story and add sounds (instruments) to it plus drawings; then pantomime the actions of the story
Life cycle of a frog: create a tune/song about it, add instruments

12. Amindon (New England dances and songs)
ACTIVITIES (HOW): CDs
Shenanigans
Greg & Steve
Dr. Jean
Jose Luiz Orozco
Amindon (New England dances and songs)
Putumayo
Musikgarten

13. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Celebrations
Halloween : “Adams Family theme”, “Danse Macabre”, etc
Thanksgiving : any Turkey stuff
Christmas : “Jingle Bells” (ostinato)
Halloween Flying Ghost
100th day of school : “One zero zero” by Teresa Jennings

14. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Chants
Acka Backa
Bling, Blang/ Hammer with my Hammer (tap first on fist), Zingo, Zango/ Cutting with my saw (saw with hands)
Cobbler, cobbler (claves)
Crocodile, Crocodile from “Jammin’ in the Jungle”
Engine Number 9 (sand blocks)
Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John
Frog in the meadow/ can’t get him out/ take a little stick/ and stir him about (guiro)
See that silly (ta ta ta ta), ghost there (taa taa), boo! I must (ta rest ta ta), see that …, then add clap and stamp, then add instruments
Wabi Sabi is a cat (Haiku and rhythm patterns)
Bee bee bumble bee

15. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Dances
Jump Jim Joe
Freeze Dance (with statues)
Seven Jumps
Limbo
Shoo Fly
Hokey Pokey
Rig-a-jig-jig
We are the Dinosaurs
There’s a beat on my feet
Here we go ‘round the Mulberry Bush
Wall Walk
Bow wow wow

16. ACTIVITIES (HOW): DVDs
Wonder Pets Save the Beetles
Wonder Pets Save the Nutcracker
Song of the South
Move It! by John Feierabend
Move It! 2 by John Feierabend
Aut-Aerobics
Peter and the Wolf (Disney version)
Snowman

17. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Games
Old Gray Cat
Simon Says (step on the treble clef; point to the whole note; play the drum;)
Bingo (Instrument)
Names: Wil-liam = tah tah; Paul = tah // make rhythm with students names
Musical Cotton Balls
Stop and Write (jump, when the teacher says a letter, they write it down)
Animal Antics (step on an animal picture, when the music start they act like the animal they are standing on)
The king’s egg is a …………… egg.
Counting game: ta=1; ta=1; rest tah = 1 2; rest rest tah = etc until ?
Shapes (walk on angled, curved, straight, spiral)
8 Counts : shape/ shape/ shape/12345 shape/1234 shape/123 shape/12 shape/1 shape/shape shape shape
I have (rhythm pattern “ta ta ta ta”, Who has ti-ti tah ti-ti tah?

18. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Goodbye Songs
It’s time to say goodbye to Dr. “M”
Let’s wave goodbye together

19. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Instruments
William Tell Overture (with plastic plates)
The Adams Family
We will Rock you (ti-ti tah)
Beethoven’s 5th
Sousa’s “any” Marches
Trace the names of the instruments
Trace the design of the instruments
Classroom Instruments Bingo
Orchestra Instruments Bingo
Sort the Classroom Instruments by Families
Play Rhythm Patterns with Classroom Instruments
Rhythm Band Chart
Stop & Go
Drum x triangle (louder x softer)
Boomwhackers (harmony; hit, blow, shake, whip on the air, roll them on the floor, hit with hands, etc); Canoeing with Boomwhackers=sit in a canoe shape, put a cap on one of the ends of the Boomwhackers, paddle touching the lower leg, others make forest sounds; make connections with colored bells, scarves, colored balls, balloons, etc, but DON’T FOLLOW THE RHYTHM OF THE TUNE, FOLLOW THE ACTION.

20. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Instruments Cont.
Bells and cards
Cabasa: run it up and down child’s arm
Name the instrument and pick it among others
Honk (ta); rattle w/ maracas (ti-ti); crash (cymbals); beep beep w/ triangles (taa taa)
Show pictures and they compose using instruments
Drumming: say 1 for RH and 2 for LH (“We like to play the djembe/triangle, etc)
ABC clappers – calls/plays a letter; calls/plays a shape; clap once, play the one clap once, etc
Listen, listen/ here I come/ someone special/ gets the drum
Poi Instrument from New Zealand to accompany Kia Ora
Make instruments: kazoo with toilette roll, cover top with paper and put an elastic band around it, and make a hole on the roll.
Create own instrument
Na Bahia tem, (tem tem tem = with instruments)

21. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Listening
Peter and the Wolf
Listen and identify the sounds (Musikgarten)

22. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Movement (Locomotor)
Listen and Move
Do as I am Doing
Freeze Dance (statues, play drums)
Walk and stop
John Jacob Jingle…
Musical Chairs, line/space note chairs, treble/bass clefs chairs, etc
Play the drum = walk, play the maracas = run, etc
Grow into a shape/melt to the floor/rise/(complement shape of the partner)/locomotion through the space
Dance on the floor with objects, like books (tune: firebird)
Dance with your fingers
Dance to a tune and balance a ball on the head
Equilibrium- listen to a tune and dance to it while humming and holding a tube in between mouth and nose
Throwing a balloon/moving with scarves while listening to a calm tune
Moving with a stretchy band while listen to a stretchy tune
Walk with flowers while listening to Tchaikovsky
Keep the beat with a stick touching the ground while listening to a march, etc
Listening to any tune: everyone moves according to their own possibilities
Beer Coasters or dots: spread them on the floor, walk around while listening to a tune stepping, and without stepping, on the dots

23. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Movement (Non-Locomotor)
Row your Boat
Humpty Dumpty
C is for Cookie
Twinkle, Twinkle
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Hickory, Dickory, Dock
Pop! Goes the Weasel (with a cushion ball)
If you are Happy
B-i-n-g-o
Oh When the Saints
Johnny works with 1 hammer
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Stop and go
Clap = open door = maracas = walk = ti-ti (reverse)
Stomp = close door = drum = march = tah (reverse)

24. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Movement (Non-Locomotor) Cont
Monkey Rhythm from “Jammin’ in the Jungle”
Sally has a 1 friend, 1 friend, 1 friend, Sally has a 1 friend, Sally has 2, etc
Epo I tai tai E (
Bao-ba-la-lao
Listen to a poem/make the shape of the last word of each phrase OR play the last word of each phrase on different instruments//sing the poem//move to it
Listen to a tune and draw to it
Move a blanket up and down while listening to a tune
Partner sit back-to-back/shoulder-to-shoulder and move back and forth, side to side, round and round
“My Paddle is Keen and Bright” = sit in a circle, hold on the RH, give to the neighbor on the right and collect from neighbor on the left.
Walk/act like a chosen animal
Follow the drum beat with a tennis ball

25. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Notation
Music alphabet (ABCDEFG) (clapping hands, etc)
Rhythm Syllables (sol-fa)
Space note/Line note (trace, game, put dots on space/line notes, jump on space notes and walk line notes, etc)
ta ta ta ta, etc…
ta ta ta ta (counting and clap, stamp, play, etc, then the same with tah, instead of saying the numbers)
Rhythm Manipulatives
Visuals for tah ti-ti: children pick up animal pictures and glue on index cards; e.g. bee=1 card, li-on= cut the card in half
Rain, Rain, go away (use water bottle spray)
Recognize Rhythm Patterns of Songs: Jingle bell, Old MacDonald, Hot Cross Buns, Mary had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle, Rain Rain
Staff Lines on the Floor
Quarter note = touch legs; half note = touch toes; quarter rest = touch nose; half note dot = arms out; whole note = stretch high (yawn)
Sharp = climb a step up; flat = climb a step down
Intervals: 2nd = 2 people, 3rd = 3 people, etc
Step and skip
Row the dice and clap the rhythm
Associate note values, rhythm with instruments
Adding and subtracting with note values on cards, e.g. Front of the card= note value, back of the card = numbers

26. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Other Materials
Lake Shore tablets
Stretchy Band

27. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Pitch exploration
Yarn
Flash Light
Pipe Cleaners
Clown
Vocal contours on cards, e.g. V, W, I, L, O, M, etc
Talk, hum, shout, whisper (this is my speaking voice, etc)
Glockenspiels—glissando sounds
Animal sounds (whale, dove, cat, cow)
Flying ghosts
Flying puppets
Bean bag
3 bears
3 pigs
Wiggle and Waggle

28. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Poems
The pale moon resting (ti-ri-ti-ri ti-ti) / on a foggy water (ti-ri-ti-ri ti-ti) /hear that SPLASH? (tah tah tah rest), a / frog’s jumped in (change the animal) (tah tah tah rest)

29. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Quiet Time
Greg & Steve - Resting
Meow

30. ACTIVITIES (HOW): Technology
Smart board activities
Drag notes to baskets
Associate fruits with rhythm: apple = ti-ti, plum = tah, etc
Pop balloons with right rhythm
Row the dice and clap the rhythm
Alphabet Letters Vocal contours
Sound sorting (high x low, animal sounds, instruments)
Groovy Shapes
Record their voices
Record themselves
iPad apps (Garage Band, Blob Chorus, Follow Beat, Simple Solfege, Doodle Buddy, etc)
Amy Burns (
You Tube
Elizabeth Collosimo activities
3-line notation

31. REFERENCES and RESOURCES Books:
Hammel, Alice M. & Hourigan, Ryan M. (2011). Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Harris, Maureen (2009). Music and The Young Mind: enhancing brain development and engaging learning. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers and MENC
Kokaska, Sharen Metz (1974). Creative Movement for Special Education. Belmont, California: David S. Lake Publishers.
Lara, Linda ((2002). Special Music for Special Learners. Delaware Water Gap, PA: Shawnee Press, Inc.
Notbohm, Ellen (2005). Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew. Arlington, Texas: Future Horizons.
Ott, Pamela (2011). Music for Special Kids. London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Sobol, Elise S. (2008). An Attitude and Approach for Teaching Music to Special Learners. Lanham, Marylan: Rowman & Littlefield Education.
Stokes, S., Wirkus-Pallaske, M., and Reed, P, (2000). Assistive Technology Tools and Strategies Resource Guide for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Wisconsin Technology Institute
Stowe, Cynthia (2005). Understanding Special Education: a helpful handbook for classroom teachers. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Warner, L., Lynch, S., Nabors, D. K., and Simpson, C. G. (2008). Themes for Inclusive Classrooms: Lesson Plans for Every Learner. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc.

32. REFERENCES and RESOURCES Catalogs:
Enabling Devices (eneblingdevices.com)
Jessica Kingsley Publishers Catalog of Books and Resources on Autism, etc (jkp.com)
Mayer-Johnson Board Maker Studio (mayer-johnson.com)
Resources for Reading (abcstuff.com)
ToysRus Toy Guide for Differently-abled (Toysrys.com/Differently/Abled)

33. REFERENCES and RESOURCES Curricula:
S.T.A.R. Autism Support (strategies for teaching based on autism research)(starautismsupport.com)
Gameplan (visuals for clap, tap, snap, stamp)
Musikgarten
Kindermusik

34. REFERENCES and RESOURCES Music Books with CDs:
“Jammin’ in the Jungle” by Denise Hollingworth

35. REFERENCES and RESOURCES Websites:
A to Z teacher stuff
Lesson Tutor
The Teacher’s Corner
Zac Browser
Positively Autism
Autism4Teachers
Autism Classroom
Alice Hammel, Amy and Ryan Hourigan
(therapeutic instruments-the tonalis instrumentarium)

36. Write your lesson plans BEFORE and AFTER.
Remember to:
Write your lesson plans BEFORE and AFTER.
Accommodate and modify “normal” lesson plans.

37. Reflections: How do I get students to pay attention and stay on task?
(besides) Engaging and involving students in legitimate curriculum activities.
Are my lesson plans focused on developing knowledge of musical concepts?
How do the students learn?
Modeling
Verbal explanation
Visual aides
Breaking down tasks
Multiple levels of sensory input (singing, playing, counting)
Physical interaction
Teaching with music and movement
Assessment: as a result of my teaching, the students will be able to …………..
What does music do for children with an ASD?