Accessible Arts / arts + disability NSW

When I started working part-time as a high school music teacher I realised that I wasn’t the only person with a disability benefiting from playing music. Most of my students were able-bodied but they also included kids with learning and intellectual disabilities, chronic illnesses, physical disabilities and mental illnesses. Still others had parents or siblings with disabilities. They all had a place in our school band and had formed close friendships with its other members. They all had the opportunity to express themselves and to feel like active members of the school community.

The benefits of music
Most people are aware that playing music assists with a host of physical and educational skills. It’s great for both fine and gross motor skills, critical listening, mathematics, learning languages, self-expression and for improving concentration. Singing and playing wind instruments also improves breath control, lung capacity and speech. Less well known are the great social benefits that come with joining a band, choir or orchestra. Playing in a group requires people to work as a team in a non-competitive environment. For people who have limited access to sporting opportunities it can be a great way to learn teamwork without the pressure of winning or losing.

Music students also tend to be both intelligent and accepting. In schools, teachers often find band members are more willing to take the time to encourage or befriend children who the rest of the student body dismiss as being too different. As a result, young musicians with disabilities often find a large friendship group within their ensembles. At the school I taught at it wasn’t uncommon to find one handsome intellectually disabled boy surrounded by a bevy of female flute players. Not surprisingly in such a tight-knit group, romance often blooms within ensembles. I once knew an amateur musician in her 40s who steadfastly refused to date anyone not involved in the banding movement.

Choosing an instrument
Your choice of instrument greatly affects how much you will get out of your musical experience. Able-bodied people need to find an instrument that suits both their temperament and physique, and for people with a disability it is doubly important. Consult the music coordinator at your school, the conductor of a group you’d like to join or a music teacher or therapist for advice on choosing an instrument and finding a suitable teacher. Most local libraries also have books on how to choose the right instrument. The sales person at your local music shop may also be able to put you in touch with someone nearby who teaches the instrument you choose.

Instruments can be divided into one of three main pitch groups: melodic, middle voices and the bass section. Each group has its own role to play and attracts different people with different temperaments. Melodic instruments are high pitched and often attract people with high voices. They usually get to play the main tune and so are great for confident people who like to stand up and take solos. They are also good for people who get easily bored because the melodies they play are easily recognisable. Melodic instruments include violins, flutes, clarinets, oboes, trumpets, guitars, alto saxophones and soprano and tenor singers. Violins, flutes and clarinets can also be suitable for people who are shy because most bands have large numbers of them, allowing people to hide up the back or even play modified, easier parts.

Middle voices include violas, ‘cellos, bassoons, trombones, euphoniums, tenor saxophones, French horns, rhythm guitars and alto or baritone singers. They usually play counter-melodies or the middle notes in chords. Their parts are usually hard for audience members to make out, but provide extra colour to the music. Musicians who play these instruments often take a perverse pride in the obscure nature of their parts. They usually contain the most wacky or zany members of the ensemble as well as the most withdrawn.

Bass voices are the engine room of the ensemble. They include double basses, bass guitars, baritone saxophones, tubas and bass voices. These instruments are large and so, usually, are their players. They rarely have to play fast, technical passages, but provide the ensemble with a steady beat and a platform to build on. Bass musicians are not glamorous but they take pride in knowing that their job is vital – when the bass section loses its place in the music, the whole group often falls apart.

Of course each individual instrument has its own physical requirements. Some are obvious: for example, a trumpet with only three valves is a good choice for someone with only one arm. Others are more obscure: to be a good flute player you need to have lips of a certain shape. This is why it’s so important to do your homework before investing in an instrument.

People with breathing problems that can be improved by activities like swimming can also benefit from singing or playing a wind instrument, but check with your doctor first. Size is not a good indicator of how much air you need to play an instrument, a flute uses more air than a tuba, and young flautists have been known to faint. Percussion often attracts people with ADD (attention deficit disorder) who thrive on constantly changing instruments and appreciate being able to move around during rehearsals. People with autism often enjoy highly logical instruments like pianos and guitars.

Don’t give up if you have trouble finding an instrument that meets your physical needs. Many instruments can be easily adapted, for example, curved mouth pieces can be bought for flutes, bringing the whole instrument closer to the body for people with a short arm span, and piano pedals can be rigged so that they are behind your back to be leant on, rather than pressed with your feet. You can also buy a host of stands, supports and braces to help you hold your instrument comfortably. Don’t be scared to think of non-traditional instruments either. Harmonica isn’t often played at schools but can be a great instrument. I’m also a big fan of the kazoo; it can be played by anyone who can hum in tune and is extremely expressive. Good kazoo players easily play most oboe, or flute parts or the soprano line in a choir. People with disabilities have been playing music for hundreds of years and a wide range of adaptations already exist.

Choosing an ensemble
When choosing an ensemble the first thing you should consider is the style of music you like – if you want to play jazz music don’t join a symphony orchestra. Before joining a group, go along to one of their concerts or ask to sit in on a rehearsal so that you can find out if you like the kind of music they play. Your music teacher will be able to help put you in touch with an appropriate group or you could look up local groups on the internet.

Next you should consider the social aspects of the group you wish to join. Are the other members a similar age to you? Do they have regular social activities? Camps? Tours? Decide whether you want to join a mainstream group, an ensemble specifically for people with a disability or an integrated group. You might also consider a group that caters for another minority you belong to. Many ethnic groups have their own ensembles, either using traditional instruments or singing in their native language. There are also ensembles for gay and lesbian people, trade unionists, elderly people, women, men – just about any group you can think of.

If you’re still unsure about how you’ll fit in with a particular ensemble, have a chat to their musical director. Raise any concerns you have with them and you’ll soon get an idea of how willing they are to accommodate you. Can they provide sheet music early so you have extra time to practice or have it transcribed into Braille? Can they write you simplified parts? Is their rehearsal venue accessible? Would they mind if you brought along a helper to turn your pages? Some ensembles are highly competitive and only accept the most qualified musicians but most are more inclusive and will be happy to help you out.

CASE STUDIES

Patrick
Patrick has physical and intellectual disabilities as well as speech and severe breathing problems. He joined his school’s music program when he started high school. Patrick’s school only teaches wind and percussion instruments, so he began percussion lessons because of his breathing problems.
Patrick wanted to play drum kit but his school only offered orchestral percussion lessons so he had to learn a range of instruments including xylophone, timpani and a host of others. He found it extremely difficult to master all the instruments and found that he didn’t have time to learn one before moving on to another. He participated in group lessons but his teacher was concerned that the extra help he needed would take time away from other students.

Patrick usually had an integration aid with him at all times but their services didn’t stretch to music lessons or band rehearsals. As a result he often became confused and would constantly interrupt rehearsals with questions. As he became more frustrated his behavior in rehearsals became more and more disruptive. Patrick soon became sick of struggling through lessons and rehearsals and quit playing music after only nine months.
Patrick’s musical experience could have been improved with a few simple steps. His school should have modified their percussion lessons for him, letting him concentrate on one instrument at a time, building his versatility gradually. His interest in drum kit could have been harnessed by teaching him those instruments used in kit first (snare drum, bass drum, suspended cymbal) with the promise that once he’d mastered them he could begin playing kit.

He could also have benefited from private lessons, even if it meant using a teacher from outside the school. His progress in rehearsals would also have been improved if he’d had an assistant by his side to prompt him, either one of his aides or a supportive older student.
*Not his real name

Alan
Alan has learning difficulties and is in year nine, although he is a few years older than the other members of his class. He has played alto saxophone since year seven and his tight-knit social group revolves around band rehearsals.

Alan has progressed slowly and steadily through his school’s junior and intermediate bands but since he and his friends were promoted to senior band he has started to struggle. Alto saxophone is a melodic instrument and the parts are becoming too intricate for Alan to learn confidently. Despite this, Alan has a strong tone and a steady sense of rhythm. He also contributes to the band in other ways – he’s always first to rehearsals, setting up stands and handing out music. Because he’s older and bigger than the other kids he is also great at setting up the big percussion instruments and lugging the amplifiers. He jokes that he wants to be a roadie when he grows up.
Alan’s parents and teachers are aware of the close friends he has in the band and don’t want to demote him back to intermediate band. They also don’t want him to be constantly struggling with intricate passages. They decide to concentrate on Alan’s strengths rather than his weaknesses. The school owns a baritone saxophone; it’s played exactly the same way as his instrument but is bigger and sounds deeper. Because it’s a bass instrument its parts are relatively simple but require someone with an unflinching sense of rhythm and a big, strong sound like Alan’s. The instrument has gone unused because it’s too big for most of the other students.

After being given the baritone saxophone to use Alan went from strength to strength. He took great pride in having the biggest, loudest instrument in the band and he always arrived at rehearsals with his music well prepared. Overnight he went from being the last in a long line of alto saxophone players to being the only baritone saxophone player in the school. Far from needing to be demoted, he suddenly became sought after, securing a place in the school’s saxophone quartet and the senior stage band. He even went on to perform in interschool competitions, taking out the major prize in the first one he entered.

A little bit of imagination can make a world of difference to the musical experiences of someone with a disability. If you’re struggling to find a way to contribute, don’t give up. Ask any music teachers, therapists or conductors that you know until you find an instrument and ensemble that is right for you.
*Not his real name

[ First published in Link Disability Magazine, October 2006 www.link.disability.com.au. Reproduced with permission. ]

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