NAfME Webinar: Promoting Music Engagement for Students with Profound Intellectual Disabilities

Of individuals with an intellectual disability, 1% are recognized as having a profound intellectual disability and commonly present at a mental age of roughly three years or below. This session includes strategies that promote engagement for individuals with profound intellectual disabilities, who represent a historically disenfranchised population. Accordingly, the application of specialized curricula, pedagogies, and pacing strategies allows this vulnerable population to access music education to the greatest extent possible.

This presentation includes a clinical primer on characteristics of individuals with profound intellectual disability, application of Fink’s taxonomy in relation to the Core Arts Standards, analysis of the emerging model of adaptive music classes, and a discussion of pressing issues facing educators. Implementing these strategies will position music educators to provide equitable access to music education and more effectively serve this vulnerable population of individuals.