Improvisational Activities of Musical Expression in Children with Disabilities

Percussionist–led Workshops in Special–Needs Classes

Abstract

Improvisational musical activities are suitable to promote children’s self–initiated actions in the classroom, especially for children with special needs. These activities allow children to use different performance styles that are attuned to the characteristics of their personalities and disabilities. This study observed a percussionist’s musical workshops and collated her interview data to analyze how these improvisational activities of musical expression worked in special–needs classes. The observations showed that the children were actively listening to the sound qualities of the percussion instruments and communicating with their classmates. The study found that the workshops promoted the children’s learning and taught them how to feel sounds and listen to them. Additionally, the activities encouraged communication with their classmates. Analysis of these workshops showed the importance of children’s learning through listening to the sounds of music and others and the significance of the communication that occurred among children in special–needs classes through interactions.