Music/Art Classes

It can depend a great deal on the child. First, how does he feel about music class and/or art class? Some children love those classes, others don’t.

The flip side of that question is how does he feel about his reading tutoring/resource class? Does he get benefit from it? Are his skills improving? Does he feel that he gets benefit from it?

It’s also true that some students just hate being taken out of any class for resource room. They feel that ‘all eyes are on them’ as they leave and that it stigmatizes them in the school and with their friends.

The drawbackor the payback comes from how your son feels about all this. If he can feel good about it and if it’s likely to make a positive experience on his reading skills, there could be more advantage than disadvantage to doing this. Music experiences and art experiences can be provided at a local Y or art center on a Saturday or by taking music lessons until he’s ready to return to art and music at school.

Good luck.

When my son needed resource time outside the classroom, we let him help decide which “special” he would miss. In his case, he hated “health” class, so that became his resource time. Can you find a way to include your child in the decision?

Karen

I brought this subject up to my sons school and they would not even think of it they said he had to participate in music once a week.He dreads the class and cant stand the noise too he is sensitive to sounds.I made it easier on him his weekly therapy sessions I schedule at this time now .I wish he could have resource at tthat time but there is no way his teacher has her lunch and planning period at his special time.

Music research completed by Gordon Shaw and Fran Rausher has shown that students who learn to read music have shown improvement on the California Achievement Test in math. Reading is also improved by music instruction. I would suggest your stay stay in music and art for self-expression, improved self-esteem, and possible academic improvements.

My son has shown improvement all around in his academics since starting playing a musical instument. He has played trumpet with the school band the last 2 years and his grades have gone up significantly. His teachers have commented on how more focused and much more alert he is. Last year when he took his standardized test his scores had improved. My youngest son is playing recorder this year in music and the teachers have noted he gets some of the same benefits although not as drastic as his brothers. The academics were not the only thing to improve their self esteem and confidence also improved.

I agree with both of you about the benefits of music. (and art for that matter) But I think you have to weigh the benefits of finding pull-out time against that. Sometimes the benefits of that pull-out time are even more importnat. I think that is particularly relevant if there is a music or art teacher that the child isn’t connecting with and feeling good about.

Music and art and P.E. are areas where parents can pretty easily provide instruction and enrichment outside the school day without overstressing their kids. So SOMETIMES, when something has to give, that’s an area to look. I think it depends on the specific kid, the specific “special” and the specific teacher/schedule. ALL those things need to be weighed against the needfor that academic support.

Karen

I have problems with art and music too. As a matter of fact, there was a note on my son’s report card that he wasn’t doing his work in Art class. I got really upset with him, and said your disability is in reading, not art. But then he said, Mom, you don’t draw in art, you have to write papers,he said they do the same thing in music and library. So, I’ll be putting something in his IEP about those things next year. Not sure what, but I’ll address it. I would much rather my son spend his time learning to read than taking art or music…but you know the good ole school system.

I have also dealt with this and my son is just in 3rd grade.In library he was told he could not check out a book because he goes to resource room so he did not have to do a report.This singles the kids out .He said he was told to sit at a table and be quiet.In music class they have to write music notes and stuff well my son has dysgrahia as well and cant write between lines and make small marks .He was saying he was sick every week on music day to his teacher and sometimes made himself sick untill his reg. ed teacher finally put 2 and 2 together with what they were doing in music class and explained to the music teacher about his problems .Well still when he brought his folder home there was all kinds of comments stay on the lines,make sround circles,write smaller,andother comments he has no control over.Art he hates because his drawings look more like k drawings and she never hangs any of his up in the hall like the rest of his class even after he works so hard on projects.The art teacher has learned from my daughter she asked her why she did not hang her brothers work up like therest of his class?That opened the teachere eyes she now has helped himdo some work but it took 4 years for this to happen .He still cant cut on a line and so on but keeps working hard.Now his teacher is including some art academics questions each week and he has earned pencils and stickers because he can do this orally.Gym class he loves and the gym yeacher has told me he just keeps giving it 150 % no matter what others say to him .She said she has had to send others to the principal for things they have said to him andthat kids can be so cruel.

Your poor son. Your school system seems intent on sticking the needle in at every opportunity! Then they wonder why he’s “not motivated”?

Karen

I guess it depends where your sons strengths lie. I have read many articles about ADHD kids, which my son is, and that alot of them are very creative, and read a article recently that said alot of ADHD kids had to doodle in order to concentrate. That explains why my son was doodling in every class. He never payed attention and hardly ever finished his work, but somehow he was learning. He loves art alot better than music. His memorization skills are really bad he has been working since Nov. on part of the Declaration of Independence, boy will I be glad when that is over. Its like pulling teeth, but alas it effects him memorizing the words to songs. But we do have an organ and he loves playing composer on it, even though he doesn’t read music.

Hello!
I may stand out a little here from what I have read, but I feel that I should contribute anyway. I am a Resource teacher for kids in 2nd - 5th grade (this year). I have many of my students that I believe are gifted in the arts (music and art class). My students are fortunate to have teachers in these areas that are supportive and work well with them. I think that they need to attend these classes to feel successful in their class- all the kids compliment them on their art work and look to them for assistance. The kids I have who are not artistically inclined need those classes regardless. THere is always at least one thing that the teacher does that htey are good at doing. Again, I ma fortunate that I have great teachers in these classes. Our Librarian also has been wonderful and would never dream ofdenying a child a boook because they are “resource” (since when di that become a label? What a twit! She needs to be talked to and SOON!)
Anyway, I truly believe that students with LD tend to be better at the arts in that they see things in a different way in order to learn, and these classes lend themselves to such thinking (right brained). I think it is a shame that the teachers that your students have are not jumping on the chance to find that gift and expand on it. THere is so much the kids can gain from these classes! The teacher can enlighten the kids about details and patterns and can help them see these in other acedemic areas (again if the teacher supports this thinking).
I also should note that I am an advocate for the arts (if you haven’t noticed) with my kids.My kids and I are in the archives in the First Person section on this site. (under Cat Kelly and the Hollywood Kids).
I think that to pull them could also make them stand out when they are not part of the class. The kids need a bit of a “mental break” as well. Some kids who don’t recieve a break from the sometimes very difficult academic tasks will quickly feel tense and agitated. Imagine if you went through a whole day without a break! I also realize every child is very different and some will enjoy these classes and some won’t. But maybe the next art teacher or music teacher will be the one to find the “thing” that inspires that child and makes a difference in attitude towards school?
I do understand the need for your children to improve their reading and writing. I just become concerned whenever “my kids” may lose the right to attend these important classes as well. It is a fight to keep some of our students in the mainstream classes (meaning fighting the administration) and they have a right to them. It also goes to the respect for the arts., If there isn’t exposure to them, then they remain a mystery and sadly may never be explored except for school time.
I have never personally been able to read nor write music. In fact, I am terrible with singing! I couldn’t carry a note if it were in a suitcase! But I do appreciate the work that goes into it. I have also been in several plays and musicals and feel a bit embarassed that I cannot read or write music. I feel for the little one one of you wrote about whose music teacher treated him so poorly. Please do n’t stand for this! Talk to this woman and let her know that her remarks are hurtful. Many reg. ed teachers haven’t a clue as to how our kids learn (the univcersities conmtinue to turn out teachers without this knowledge..it is up to parents and Special Ed teachers to teach them these things - we have to know about it first!)
Ok…I have written a book, so I shall sign off for now. Please reconsider asking to have your children removed from these classes! There is more to gain in the long run by keeping them in than pulling them out.

I agree with most of what you have said, and I wouldn’t allow my son to be pulled from a “specials” class that I thought he was benefiting from, even if the “only” benefit was enjoyment. Please remember, however, that not all LD’s are “left brain” LD’s. NLD is a right brain deficit, and for some of our NLD kids, art with the wrong type of teacher is very, very hard (bordering on torturous) work. For the past 2 years, he has had a great art teacher who encourages him to work along slowly at a single project and do the best he can. He doesn’t finish a fraction of the projects the other kids do, but he has an end product that he can be proud of. Other teachers have made him work on whatever the rest of the class is working on. Those years, he ends up coming home with every single project incomplete. That gets extremely discouraging.

Likewise, while my son enjoys music, “music class” with a bunch of other kids and too much noise can be overwhelming. Last year he thought he wanted to take trumpet lessons through school, which met the music requirement. He lasted only 3 weeks. The chaos of group lessons was too much for him, and he was totally stressed out by the teacher “yelling”. (though in fairness to the teacher, I think this was more speaking loadly enough to be heard over the din than yelling AT the kids) We found that private guitar lessons were a much better option for keeping music in our son’s life.

For us, the “right” special to lose this year was “health”. My experience with the two health teachers in our school is that they take themselves WAY too seriously, and give out ridiculously age-inappropriate assignments even to non-LD kids, and don’t even bother to check what children might be on IEP’s or how assignments should be modified as a result.

I guess what I’m saying again is that you have to look at the circumstances based on the child, the schedule AND the teachers involved before making the decision whether to use a “special” period for resource help. My son thought of his resource-during-health arrangement as a “get out of jail free” card. He really enjoyed being with his SPED teacher and being able to catch up on things in a quite, no-pressure environment.

Karen

Wow KAren! I applaud your strength indealing with some of the teachers that are not healthy for your child. You are correct in that there are the kids who have great difficulty with the right brain activities. It is a great shame that there are teachers who torture our kids unknowingly because they do not know how to reach all kids using a variety of methods. I have been teaching a mere 15 years and have seen some teachers who are very good at using as many different types of teaching as possible, and some who use only one…their way of teaching. I think the best way to reach our kids, really any child, is to use their strengths to reach their weaknesses and build them up. That means carefully using strategies to do so in every class, academics and specials. I am glad that the art teacher worked well with your child. That type of success goes beyond academics and into the soul. What a tragedy he had to feel the opposite when he had so many incomplete prjects.
I think your son is very lucky to have such a klnowledgeable Mom who knows his strengths and weaknesses. He is also fortunate to have a Spec. Ed. teacher he likes so much. I hope it works out for him! SOunds like a decent solution for this year. I hope the Health teachers take note and learn how to better teach next year! Sounds like they are missing out on a chance to get to know a really neat kid!
Best of luck to you and yours,
Cat