Unmuted: Adaptive Music Education for an Inclusive Future

Abstract

People with physical disabilities often encounter barriers to their music education within the traditional Western music system. Most instruments require two fully-able hands, and wind instruments require a steady air stream. However, through creativity and innovation these issues can disappear, leaving behind a clear path ahead to a more inclusive music education system. This research serves as a way to spread awareness and techniques people have used to make music inclusive to individuals with a physical disability. Examples were found through various methods including personal accounts as well as from other outspoken advocates online. It has been made obvious through this research that there are people out there who are tackling this daunting task; however, it is often hard to know where to start if you have a need for this information. This information can be used for music educators who have a student with disabilities or even by individuals with a physical disability looking for ways to immerse themselves in the rich world of making music. OHMI Trust, which stands for One-Handed Musical Instruments, is a powerhouse in paving a way through these barriers by holding competitions for instrument-makers as well as allocating funding to further make advancements into this field. A less extreme example is the various supports that are available for instruments, such as stands that hold the instrument for the player, harnesses to move the weight away from the arms, or even a brace that sits against the body to help support the instrument. There has even been some success in using different mechanical components to push keys for the player on brass instruments where the user cannot deliver the fine motor motions that are normally required to play these instruments. These different examples are just a few that can offer someone who would normally have been excluded from playing these instruments a whole new world of inclusivity that at the current moment does not exist on a large scale. These individuals deserve to have the same opportunities to express themselves as well as experience all of the social and emotional learning that comes from working in an ensemble to create music together.