creating collaborative relationships between slps...

Creating Collaborative Relationships Between SLPs and Music Educators

Mara E. Culp, The Pennsylvania State University [email protected] | www.MaraCulp.com | 251 Music Building I, University Park, PA 16802

Background Students with Communication Needs in Music Classes

Even before organized music education appeared in the Boston public schools in 1838, music was used in the education of students with special needs. In the early 1800s, Jean-Marc-Gaspard Itard (1775-1838) utilized music in diagnosing and treating speech and hearing problems with students (Adamek & Darrow, 2005; Solomon, 1980). Music was also used to teach auditory and speech skills for students with cognitive impairments (Solomon, 1980).

Music continued to be an important part of special classrooms throughout the mid-1900s. In the 1930s, music was used in 91% of special education classrooms (Solomon, 1980). Yet, providing appropriate instruction to meet individual needs today may been hindered due to a lack of information and resources (Abramo, 2012). Music teachers often receive advanced information about students with special needs in their classrooms, but may not commonly participate in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings (Scott et al., 2007).

Rationale

Using Music in Sessions Music has been recommended for improving speech and language skills (Bauman-Waengler, 2012; Lim,

2012; Zoller, 1991). Additionally, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has demonstrated interest in further research demonstrating the benefits of music on speech and language skills (Rogers, 2015). Music has been effective in improving speech-related processes, through remediation (Kilcoyne et al., 2014) and participation (Moreno et al., 2009). Further, using music may motivate children toward success by providing an interesting and engaging way to practice target sounds (Kilcoyne et al., 2014).

Vocal Music: Speech sounds (autism) (El Mogharbel et al., 2006; Lim, 2012)

Cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction (Kilcoyne et al., 2014) General Music: Speech perception (Moreno et al., 2009)

Phonological Awareness Typically developing children (Degé & Schwarzer, 2011; Moritz et al., 2013) Children with dyslexia (Overy, 2003)

Music Lessons/Training: Second language acquisition (Yang et al., 2014) Cochlear implant (Fu et al., 2015)

Collaborating with music educators could help SLPs discover new methods for improving communication skills in therapy sessions; help music educators provide more appropriate instruction for students; and help students achieve therapy goals more quickly.

Understanding Collaboration

What is Collaboration? Working together to achieve shared goals

The Collaborative Mindset

“I help STUDENTS improve their communication skills” is a more collaborative orientation than “I improve the COMMUNICATION SKILLS of students.” Such a mindset allows focus to shift from “How can YOU help ME?” to “How can WE help EACH OTHER?”

This mindset…

1. Encourages investment from other professionals 2. Allows students to reap the maximum benefits

a. Access to musical resources that could be included in therapy b. Earlier dismissal from therapy c. Increased participation and success in music


Presented at the Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association State Convention in Pittsburgh, PA on April 7, 2016

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Creating Collaborative Relationships Between SLPs and Music Educators Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Music and musical goals should be written into the IEP. In this way, music will be a required subject for the student and the music teacher will be motivated/required to help the student improve musical goals. Therefore, the music teacher may be allotted more time to attend IEP meetings and better understand the student’s needs. Steps to Successful Collaborations

Step #1:

Understanding and Respect the Other’s Role Helps professionals better understand what and how other’s may contribute

Information to gather: 1. What is the music teacher’s role? 2. What do they do? (e.g., job description, classes taught) 3. What kinds of students do they see?

What is Music Education? Music education is associated with the teaching and learning of music. Music educators seek to help students

achieve musical outcomes such as singing in tune; keeping a steady beat; reading, writing, and composing music; and responding to music (e.g., music appreciation and musical sensitivity). Coursework for preservice music teachers contains information pertaining to musical development, instrumental methods and techniques, vocal pedagogy (which often includes the International Phonetic Alphabet), and teaching students with special needs.

What do music teachers do? National and State Standards inform teaching decisions. The Standards outline what students should know

and be able to do in music by the end of a particular grade level. The National Core Arts Standards are divided into outcomes for: Performing, Creating, Responding, and Connecting. Although State Standards vary, Pennsylvania’s State Standards for the Arts are also divided into four sections:

9.1. Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts 9.2. Historical and Cultural Contexts 9.3. Critical Response 9.4. Aesthetic Response

In order to help children meet individual and musical goals, music teachers: - Create musical goals for students to achieve by the year’s end;

o e.g., At the end of first grade, students will use singing voice consistently. - Create musical objectives for students to achieve in each lesson

o e.g., At the end of this lesson, students will be able to sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in proper singing voice.

- Assess individual and group progress through formal and informal assessments (summative and formative)

- Attend IEP meetings and integrate IEP goals into lessons - Help students increase musical knowledge

o Literacy, history, cultures, skills - Use text and other written documents

Instruction can vary depending on the class taught - More or less repetition - More simple or complicated text - Large group, small group, or individual instruction - Pull-out (for individual lessons)



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Who do music teachers see; and What kinds of classes do they teach? A single music teacher could teach a variety of age levels, ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Therefore,

music teachers may see the same students for many years and build long-standing relationships that provide in-depth knowledge of the student’s abilities. Music teachers may be in various buildings during the day or week. Music teachers may teach a variety of courses, including:

Instrumental music: - *Wind instruments - String instruments - Percussion instruments

Vocal music General music Musical theater

Music history Music theory Private lessons

*Instrumental ensembles could include wind instruments that require students to use their tongues and string ensembles still require students to communicate effectively with the teacher and peers. Music teachers may encounter students with tongue thrusts in these settings or incorporate knowledge from the field of speech-language pathology to assist students (Ayers, 2004; Schade, 2007).

Many students with disabilities and impairments are present in music classrooms and the coursework of preservice music teachers often includes information pertaining to teaching students with a variety of disabilities outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Salvador, 2010). It is likely music educators will encounter students with communicative impairments because the majority (93.7%) of students with speech or language impairments are in typical elementary classroom settings (Mullen & Schooling, 2010); and the majority of treated speech or language impairments are mild or moderate (ASHA, 2014). Therefore, they may see many of the same students that SLPs see.

Why Collaborate? – Benefits for Students - Improve text in songs and for speaking - Improve ability to communicate with the teacher - Increase understanding - Integrate technology and equipment

o Photo books with musical symbols o Assistive and Alternative Communication with music

terminology added o Classroom microphones o Sign language programs for songs in class o Whisper phones so students can hear themselves

Activities and Practices in Useful in SLPs’ Spaces - Music is engaging and motivational (Kilcoyne et al., 2014) - Minimal pairs during singing (articulation) - Phoneme practice in rhythms (articulation) - Songs, Chants, and Game Songs

o Sign language o Word/Phrase/Sentence level practice o Insert new words and phrases

Benefits of Collaboration Music Educator - More quickly improve text for songs in class - Improve students’ confidence to

speak/sing/interact in class - Music room becomes “another space” for

students to be held accountable for their speech sounds

SLP - Songs provide fun opportunities for

repetitive practice of speech sounds - Earlier dismissal from therapy - Speech room becomes “another space” for

students to be held accountable for their musical skills

WhisperPhone


Step #2: Establish a Connection

Helps professionals establish a foundation for the collaboration

Reaching out: - Locate music teachers by consulting school directory or principal - Demonstrate interest

o Send an email or place an introductory letter in mailbox An effective introduction should contain… - Greeting - Your name, title, and school - Grades you treat and general/generic goals - Your intention (“I would like to…”) - Request (“would you be willing to…”) - Availability (if desiring to meet) - Contact information (multiple methods) - Closing that reiterates your interest - No “jargon” (e.g., “phoneme,” instead use “speech sounds”)

Example Letter/Content (K-12)

Hello (Professional), I hope this note finds you well. My name is Ms. Jane Doe and I treat students with communication needs at [these buildings]. We are working on [improving speech sounds and using language to communicate intentions]. I would love to learn some ways I could incorporate music into my sessions with students to help them meet their musical goals as well. Would you be willing to meet to discuss ways we could work together with the students that you teach? My free period is [10-10:45am M-F] and I am also free after school until 4:00pm. My extension at [name of building] is 1234 and my email is [[email protected]], or you can put a note in my mailbox in [this building] with a time that works for you. I look forward to collaborating with you. Best, Ms. Jane Doe

Step #3: Create and Implement Shared Goals

Creating: Questions to ask…

1. Which classes do you work with? (to establish the students they see)

2. What are you working on? a. How are you working on this?

i. In what ways do you use speech, language, and text?

3. How can I help you reach your goals? a. Are you familiar with IPA?

4. How can I help you, help me reach my goals?

Implementing: - Keep each other’s goals in mind (share them) - Observe one another - Journal and reflect - Meet to discuss:

o What worked and did not o Necessary changes o New ideas

Conclusions - WHAT is collaboration?

o Working together to achieve shared goals - WHO could collaborate?

o SLPs and music teachers in schools - HOW could collaboration work?

o Understand the other’s role, establish a connection, then create and implement shared goals



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References

Abramo, J. (2012). Disability in the classroom: current trends and impacts on music education. Music Educators Journal, 99(1), 39-45. doi: 10.1177/0027432112448824

Adamek, M. S., & Darrow, A. A. (2005). Music in special education. Silver Spring, MD: The American Music Therapy Association.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA]. (2014). 2014 schools survey report: Caseload characteristics. Rockville, MD: Author.

Ayers, A. G. (2004). Articulation in brass playing: The tongue - friend or foe? (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Retrieved from http://uctscholar.uct.ac.za/PDF/155876_Ayers_AG.pdf

Bauman-Waengler, J. (2012). Articulatory and phonological impairments: A clinical focus (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Degé, F., & Schwarzer, G. (2011). The effect of a music program on phonological awareness in preschoolers. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 1-7. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00124

El Mogharbel, C., Sommer, G., Deutsch, W., Wenglorz, M., & Laufs, I. (2006). The vocal development of a girl who sings but does not speak. Musicae Scientiae, 10(1 Suppl), 235-258. doi: 10.1177/102986490601000111

Fu, Q., Galvin, J. J., Wang, X, & Wu, J. (2015). Benefits of music training in mandarin-speaking pediatric cochlear implant users. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58, 163-169. doi:10.1044/2014_JSLHR-H-14-0127

Kilcoyne, S. C., Carrington, H., Walker-Smith, K., Morris, H., & Condon, A. (2014). Songs from the outback: The effectiveness of music in treating articulation disorders in children aged 2–5 years with cleft palate and velopharyngeal dysfunction. Perspectives on Speech Science and Orofacial Disorders, 24, 59-66. doi:10.1044/ssod24.2.59

Lim, H. A. (2012). Developmental speech-language training through music for children with autism spectrum disorders: Theory and clinical application. London; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley.

Moreno, S., Marques, C., Santos, A., Santos, M., Castro, S. L., & Besson, M. (2009). Musical training influences linguistic abilities in 8-year-old children: More evidence for brain plasticity. Cerebral Cortex, 19(3), 712-723. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhn120

Moritz, C., Yampolsky, S., Papadelis, G., Thomson, J., & Wolf, M. (2013). Links between early rhythm skills, musical training, and phonological awareness. Reading and Writing, 26(5), 739-769. doi:10.1007/s11145-012-9389-0

Mullen, R., & Schooling, T. (2010). The national outcomes measurement system for pediatric speech-language pathology. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 41, 44-60.

Overy, K. (2003). Dyslexia and music. from timing deficits to musical intervention. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 999(1), 497-505. doi:10.1196/annals.1284.060

Rogers, M. A. (2015). Music resonates with communication sciences and disorders. [Presentation]. Presented at the Society for Music Perception and Cognition. Nashville, TN.

Salvador, K. (2010). Who isn't a special learner? A survey of how music teacher education programs prepare future educators to work with exceptional populations. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 20(1), 27–38. doi: 10.1177/1057083710362462

Schade, C. C. (2007). Practical evaluation of orofacial myofunctional exercises: Implications for wind instrument learning. Music Performance Research, 1(1), 47-65

Scott, L. P., Jellison, J. A., Chappell, E. W., & Standridge, A. A. (2007). Talking with music teachers about inclusion: Perceptions, opinions, and experiences. Journal of Music Therapy, 44, 38–56.

Solomon, A. L. (1980). Music in special education before 1930: Hearing and speech development. Journal of Research in Music Education, 28, 236-242. doi: 10.2307/3345033

Yang, H., Ma, W., Gong, D., Hu, J., & Yao, D. (2014). A longitudinal study on children's music training experience and academic development. Scientific Reports, 4(5854), 1-6. doi:10.1038/srep05854

Zoller, M. B. (1991). Use of music activities in speech-language therapy. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22(1), 272-276.

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