"Music is joy" orchestra : when disability becomes an opinion

An old definition of disability, proposed by the World Health Organization in 1980, saw it as the consequence of an impairment. This impairment was considered like a physiological function’s abnormality, which led to an handicap.

This definition put the accent on what one couldn’t do. It stressed one’s limits and his deviation outside the norm, in a statistic sense.

Today, on the contrary, the accent is put on one’s abilities.  Stressing what a person can do, we can see his functioning areas and how the environment can affect this skills, both un a positive and in a negative way.

If someone will live in a favourable environment, though, he will be able to develop to his full potential. This way, his limits couldn’t be espressed and could not become an handicap.

My students are a clear example of this latter definition.

My lessons are open to everyone : very young children (aged 2-3 years old), school-aged children, teens, neurotypical children, disabled ones, gifted children, adhd students, autistic  pupils, blind, deaf students or kids with very rare genetic syndromes.

Alessia, today 20 years old, has deafness and Williams syndrome

I don’t want to make any selection of them, because I think talent is acquired and not inborn.

Everyone can develop it with a constant and daily work.

I select just the families.  I need motivated and determined parents who want to work restlessly with their child every day. This is my only condition.

In other words, I want to select the right environment. A supportive and positive environment will enable everyone to learn.

I’ve been teaching officially for almost 10 years (officially, because I actually had my first students 18 years ago!) and I have never encountered a child who was unable to learn. Never.

Each one could learn something with his unique skills and in his own way. But each one of my students  made progress and did learn something.

                                                                                              

In my students’ orchestra differences are pretty important. Each child, in fact, has the freedom to express his personality, his ideas and his strengths. At the same time, it’s a context where you can’t see one’s limits and disabilities.

This group is composed of 25 children aged 3- 14 years old. The rules are the same for everyone, and they are proposed by the children and chosen by the whole group, included myself.

During the lesson, all the children have to  … speak with a low tone of voice, be kind toward the others and their instruments, listen to the teacher, be quiet when the others are playing or speaking. They have to help each other, enjoy the experience and have fun!

In this group each child is appreciated and valued as a member of the group and as a special and unique person. Each one skills and strengths are recognized and highlighted. I always have a positive, calm and encouraging attitude. I’m never cross or critical but I always use positive reinforcement, just like the children do.

For me it’s really important for each of them to feel understood and valued. Everyone can also give ideas or make proposals, even the youngest ones, and I always listen to them and value their ideas.

In my orchestra there are also some disabled students. Some of them have severe disabilities and disorders, but I don’t feel the need to explain these concepts to the other children. It’d put just an unecessary emphasis on some aspects none even notices.

During rehearsals, lessons and public events, these features don’t come out and children are just children. Each one of them is engaged at his fullest and gives his contribution. I expect not less than 100% from all of them, but this 100% may be different for each child. Each one has “its own” 100%. But I want from all of them attention, commitment, precision, a good posture, a clean sound, a correct bow hold, and a proper preparation. On this matter, you can’t see any difference between “neurotypical” and “disabled” children.

These children are a tight-knit and cohesive group. They often make friends in the group and some of them are literally growing up together. These relationships go beyond each one’s features, but they are also based on them.

When they ask me direct questions of this matter, I just say that anyone has strenghts and weaknesses, and we are all like this. None of us can do everything and each of us can’t do something. But everyone has strenghts and positive aspects. Everyone is wonderful as he is.  And everyone can learn.

This concepts can be understood even by the youngest child. And I don’t feel any need to go further, because for the children it’s unnecessary.

Another crucial aspect of my orchestra is independence’s development. Unluckily, being my studio really small, I can’t let the parents in during group lessons. They take part at every other lesson, but I just haven’t enough room to allow them to stay during the orchestra’s rehersals.

So I’m alone with 15-20 children and I physically can’t follow all of them. Because of that, since they are very young they learn how to look after themselves and the other children. They can take their jackets and shoes off (no shoes in my studio, as we work mainly on the carpet), prepare their instruments and bows and organize the whole room by themselves.

The older ones help the younger or disabled ones, because they are aware of our first rule. As members of a group, they should cooperate and help each other.

Being immersed in a quite and nice environment, they just ignore or don’t even notice inadequate behaviours. This way, attention seeking behaviours don’t get any reinforcement and they just stop after a while. Moreover, these behaviours are put in action not just by disabled children, but almost all the children engage in them. Because they are so young and they still have to learn how to behave, cooperate and work in a group. But they will. I work a lot on behaving well, listening, following rules, being socially competent and so on. I like also using routines like start and final greetings, Twinkle variations to start the lesson, and lots of similar clues.

Also some students who work with me in my 2nd studio take part at the orchestra’s concerts and events.

Sara and Claid, for example, both autistic pupils, have been playing a very important role in the group for some years :

In conclusion, these children are so lucky to live a great life experience. Playing in this group is and educational, formative and enriching experience. Through their violin, they are growing up and they learn while enjoying themselves.

I’m well aware of asking much to them and their families. Still, when I see them smiling and being happy and proud of themselves, I know I’m on the right track. And I know their efforts and sacrifices will be repaid.

 And I’m sure they will remember these moments forever.