Danny McMartin
Special Educational Needs Music Teacher
http://www.dannymcmartin.com/
Some of the main challenges Music teachers face when teaching SEN students is:
1) Keeping the pupils engaged
2) Providing attention equally to everyone present to maintain the engagement.
These are some remedies to arm and equip the toughest classes:
“Mystery Bag”
This exercise was pitched at low level ability yet has found appeal with a range of ages and skill levels.
Props required:
Various percussion instruments,
Lay them on a table in the middle of the room. Have the first student turn and face away from the instruments to they can hear but not see them. The second student then plays one of the instruments then moves back into position. Once this is completed the original student turns and has to nominate which instrument was played. It is more engaging if the teacher doesn’t answer but lets student 2 who played the instrument confirm if the answer is correct.
Once the round is complete the student who played the instrument is now to face outwards while the next students plays the ‘mystery instrument’. This continues in the circle until it reaches back to the original players.
If the momentum is there 2 or more instruments can be played per round to increase the challenge.
To those spectating it seems obvious to them which instrument to pick and this tends to keep their attention. Which is great for sharpening their listening skills.
“Find the instrument blindfolded”
Props required:
Various percussion instruments (other types can be used providing they are not too large)
Blindfold
Four students sit in four different corners of a clear room with four different instruments.
The student who is “in” is blindfolded starts in the centre of the room.
The aim of the game is to find an object placed in the room, yet the student can’t see. They must rely solely on the cues they hear from their classmates. Pupils in each corner player louder or softer depending on how “warm” the searcher is getting. If the object is equal distance from all the students with instruments they may play simultaneously, thus prompting the searcher to move in a direction to hear and force a more informed guide.
“Can you tell the instrument?”
One pupil at a time stands at the front of the class. Then reads the top instrument from a ‘secret list’. (The rest are covered so they can’t cheat later). They then have to make the noise of the instrument to their group (no actions allowed). The first person to guess the correct instrument then makes the noise of the next item on the list.
“Hum that tune”
Each player writes down a well-known song they know on your piece of paper (so you know what song they are humming and they don’t cheat!)
Taking turns they hum their song to their group who must try and guess the song. If the group can’t guess it then they can ‘la’ it. If the group still can’t guess the song ten they can sing the lyrics.
To make this more challenging have two different students hum their different songs at the same time for the audience to guess both.
“Consequence”
This has worked with young teenagers through to large choirs and even recovering drug addicts using music as a form of therapy.
Give each player paper and pen to write their name on the back.
Each person will write something on the paper (that could form a lyric) at the top and then fold it forward so that no one can see. The paper is then passed to the next person in the group. This movement will happen several times ensuring everyone has written something on each person’s paper.
Once enough has been written (depending on group size) each player reads through the lyrics to their new ‘song’. The results can often produce a few laughs and unite the class.
A different version of this game can be to:
Write a celebrity’s male name (then fold paper as before and pass on)
Write a celebrity female name (fold paper and pass on)
Write a question the man asks the woman (fold and pass on)
Write women’s response (fold and pass on)
Write what happen in the end
Then read out the final version to the class.
“Sing Song Whispers”
Use the lyrics from a recent popular song that your students would be reasonably familiar with. Have the group to stand in a circle. The first player whispers a line from the song to the second person. They in turn whisper it to the next and so on. The last person discloses to the class what they think the line is.
Depending on the honesty and ability of the class it can often remain quite accurate.
“Musical Chairs”
Even really low ability children can enjoy this simple yet effective game. Arrange the chairs in parallel lines facing opposite directions. The group is to walk around the chairs sensibly while music is being played. As soon as the music stops everyone sits on a chair.
Each round a chair is removed. Who ever doesn’t get a chair when the music stops is out. Continue to when you are left with one chair and two participants. This will be the finale. The final person to sit down is the winner.
“How quick can you stop?”
Everyone in the class dances while music is being played. The more animated the better! As soon as the music stops they must sit down (or simply freeze depending on the dynamics of the students). The last person to sit down is out. Continue these rounds until the last person dancing is the winner.
“Hangman”
A very easy game to execute that can often be over looked. Separately away from earshot of the other students have a pupil share what musical instrument they choose to be listed. Underline on the board how many letters are in the word. The class can join in on voting what for what letters are in the word. And ultimately working out what is the secret instrument.
Danny performs and records around various London venues by night and teaches music to special needs and behavioural challenged children by day. He currently works within some of the poorest and disrupted corners of the city.
His latest EP “Surfer Libre” is out now:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/surfer-libre-ep/id937511014?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
http://www.dannymcmartin.com/
