9:30 a.m. on a Monday may not have much significance to many students. To most, it would just be another day back at school in second period. However, for a unique group of students, 9:30 a.m. on Monday brings a music class special enough to perk up even the sleepiest of singers.
PV’s adaptive music class takes place once a week in the orchestra room. It is a class specially designed for students with disabilities. Founded and taught by choir director Catherine Lyon, this class gives students a chance to use their abilities to participate in music.
Lyon’s idea was formed a couple years back when she taught at the junior high. She had been teaching private voice lessons to a diverse group of students, but realized that it did not meet everyone’s specific needs. Lyon said, “For some students, communication is challenging, so creativity was required to be effective.”
According to Lyon, the creation of the adaptive music class was extremely important. “While students with disabilities may not be able to play a band or orchestra instrument or be able to sing, they can keep a rhythm, keep a steady beat, and do fun activities,” she said. “They can do music…they can do it well, and they enjoy it.”
Many of these students are also involved with PV Singers, Pleasant Valley’s general choir. Lyon said that choir experience, however, is different than what students encounter in the adaptive music class. In PV Singers, students with disabilities become part of the crowd. The beauty of the adaptive music class is its focus on accommodating these students specifically. The adaptive class allows its singers to truly shine by focusing on their strengths.
By creating such a class, Lyon connected her goals to the PV motto, “committed to excellence.” She said, “Not every student gets the opportunity to show what they excel at, but this music class is an opportunity for students with disabilities to showcase their strengths and have fun at the same time.”
In an average class, students start by reviewing what they did the previous week. On the week of Feb. 18, students in the adaptive music class reviewed a rhythm and applied it to the tune, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.” Students then had the opportunity to play the given rhythm on drums or maracas.
Lyon also wants the students to enjoy their time in the class. On top of utilizing instruments, the students also play games combining listening skills with physical movement. For example, they move a parachute to the beat of different music styles. This provides a more interactive way of learning other than through lectures or books.
Gina Meadows, a special education teacher, said this engaging way of presenting music lessons allows her students to fully participate and learn. “It’s been an amazing opportunity for all of us,” Meadows stated.
Students playing a game with the parachute listening to “William Overture”.
“Mrs. Lyon goes above and beyond including all of our students in the musical experience in addition to PV Singers,” Meadows said. “We are truly appreciative to our administrators for supporting Mrs. Lyon in this endeavor with the purchase of all the adaptive instruments we get to use.”
While the educational component of the class is important, Lyon’s main goal is for the students to “enjoy music and feel like they have a class of music that is just for them.”
Lyon said, in addition to the learning, she and her adaptive music students are always having fun. And, if her words were not enough, the students’ smiles and laughter while in her music room say it all.
