[couldntkelpit]

Hi, All.

I work for a music school and plan to start a music class for kids with Autism. At first I was going to use the Kindermusik curriculum that we already had and simply invite families with kids on the spectrum to participate. I received a very good response.

Most of the responses, however, were from Moms with kids aged 12 or more. The Kindermusik classes are only designed for children up to 7 years. So I have decided to put together my own curriculum based on the special needs of students on this spectrum.

I have ordered Alice Hammel's new book, Teaching Music to Kids with Autism and will glean much from it. I would also, however, like some suggestions from people with Autism and any family members on this list about how to make the class and environment as comfortable and beneficial as possible.

The class will be about 60 minutes long. The class revolves around listening, singing along, and moving to the music.

Have you participated in a music class for students with Autism, and what did you like about it, and/or how do you think it could have been improved? How did you feel like it benefitted you and/or the student?

Thank you.

[badmouse]

My autistic son is in his 20's. He's an opera singer and teacher.

He would have hated a music class at that age about listening, singing along, and moving to music. He would have had great difficulty being told to do things like that, and responded very badly to being forced to being in that group. His sensory issues would have made him miserable. His perfect pitch would have made him scream. Actually, that's what happened in his school music classes. He did fine with individual lessons. Opera folks make even the most eccentric autistic kid look normal. Once he got used to opera rehearsals, he was fine. It was wonderful for him to be around folks that appreciated his phenominal memory, his amazing musical ability, his outrageous interest in the smallest details of the opera world. He learned a lot of socialization by being accepted in that community.

He teaches music classes for kids on the spectrum with great success. His classes are based on video game music. Something to think about.

Best to you.

[couldntkelpit]

Originally Posted by badmouse

My autistic son is in his 20's. He's an opera singer and teacher.

He would have hated a music class at that age about listening, singing along, and moving to music. He would have had great difficulty being told to do things like that, and responded very badly to being forced to being in that group. His sensory issues would have made him miserable. His perfect pitch would have made him scream. Actually, that's what happened in his school music classes. He did fine with individual lessons. Opera folks make even the most eccentric autistic kid look normal. Once he got used to opera rehearsals, he was fine. It was wonderful for him to be around folks that appreciated his phenominal memory, his amazing musical ability, his outrageous interest in the smallest details of the opera world. He learned a lot of socialization by being accepted in that community.

He teaches music classes for kids on the spectrum with great success. His classes are based on video game music. Something to think about.Best to you.

Thank you for responding.

How old are the kids that he teaches?

How old was he when he began the opera rehearsals?

Best to you.[/QUOTE]

[rosska]

Sounds like it could be a good idea. I've always loved music, it's soothing to the soul. Though I hated music class at school and it was actually the biggest source of me getting into trouble. I found it very hard to stay focused with all of the noise and forced group activities. I have really bad sensory issues, mostly auditory, so people banging xylophones and drums right next to me was never fun. Low volume headphones may be a good idea for kids with similar sensory issues, that way it cuts out some of the background noise from the rest of the class but the headphones aren't too loud as to hurt them either.

I wish you luck.

[badmouse]

Originally Posted by couldntkelpit

Thank you for responding.

How old are the kids that he teaches?

How old was he when he began the opera rehearsals?

Best to you.

[/quote]

His dad is director of IT for an Opera Company. So little guy has been on stage as an extra since he was 6 or so. Because he sings along perfectly, he started singing with the Company when he was 8.

His music classes are basically 12 and up, but anyone who is interested in games is welcome.

Best with your classes. Should be excellent.