Students with disabilities represent a group of the population subject to “othering” (Kalymon et al., 2010); that is, being set apart from neurotypical students because of their disabilities. Within the realm of instrumental music, this treatment has followed the pattern of prejudice noted by Allport (1954). Band directors have resisted inclusion (Haywood, 2006; Hourigan, 2007a; McKee, 2011) and used tactics designed to discourage students with disabilities from continuing in band programs (Hammel & Hourigan, 2017). Lack of preparation to teach students with disabilities in a musical setting has been noted in the research as one factor inhibiting inclusion (Heller, 1994; Linsenmeier, 2004; McCord & Watts, 2010; VanWeelden & Whipple, 2014b). Viewed through the lens of Allport’s (1954) work on prejudice, though, the patterns of inconsistent inclusion in the music room may be explained by a subconscious mentality in which the instructor is “othering” a student with special needs, rendering them less teachable than students who present as typical musicians. Allport’s contact theory is used to provide a deeper understanding of the possible reasons behind these educational inequalities.
This study used the Attitudes Towards Intellectual Disabilities (Morin et al., 2019a) protocol to assess the attitudes of Texan band directors (N = 49) towards people with intellectual disabilities. Allport’s (1954) contact theory was then used as a lens to
investigate the formation of these attitudes. In open-ended interviews, six band directors shared their stories about their teaching, their preparation, and the people in their lives who shaped their attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities. Contact with people with intellectual disabilities was noted as a factor in the formation of their attitudes towards their own students with disabilities. These music educators discussed creating inclusive environments and fostering equity among all students in their programs.
Four university professors shared their own stories, and how they have built programs to not only prepare future music educators, but to provide them the opportunity to experience contact with students with disabilities before graduation. Looking to close the gaps in education noted in the research, these professors have sought to change the nature of music education by changing the perception of who can learn music. Incorporating direct instruction and meaningful contact with students with disabilities, these professors have found success in increasing a positive attitude towards people with intellectual disabilities in their graduating students.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/46547 |
| Date | 11 August 2023 |
| Creators | Lynskey, Adam Patterson |
| Contributors | Hourigan, Ryan |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
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