Written Music Adaptations

Some adaptations for Special Learning Children in the band classroom can be accomplished on paper without other adaptive equipment. Music as it is typically written has many features that do not lend themselves to easy comprehension. Some of the features are simply a matter of style and convention.

Music can be made:

• More understandable by replacing obscure musical terms with
  • common language and
  • icons

• More predictable by marking off regular portions by
  • number of measures per system,
  • heavy barlines at regular intervals, or
  • alternating background colors for adjacent staffs.

• Easier to master by simplifying either
  • the notes or
  • the rhythms.

• More playable by adding aids, such as
  • special instructions,
  • notated counting,
  • fingerings, and
  • note names.

• More suited to the performer by
  • Noting alternate fingerings where normal fingers are not obtainable,
  • Removing solo portions from the part
  • Adding melody passages to the part

• More visible by
  • enlarging the notes
  • elongating the paper

The following chart summarizes some of the more common means of providing specialized music.