Watch

Teaching Music to People with Special Needs

Creator:
Published:
January 30, 2024
August 24, 2019
Teaching-Music-to-Special-Needs-Students|Teaching-Music-to-Special-Needs-Students-Square

Mr. B teaches music to people with special needs. "We'll do performances and even the parents of the students will say, 'I didn't know my child could do that.'"

Video Transcript

Mr. B: I don't care about how I appear, because I really care about what I'm doing — about the work that I'm doing. So it's more important for me to showcase our students’ abilities.

Back up. Smack. That's it.

Let your ego dissipate, and then you're free to focus on the student and what their needs are, and what you may potentially be able to draw from them.

My students consistently bust my expectations for what I think they can do all the time.

Nice job. Nice job Kenny, that was great strumming there.

I'm not always Mr. B. I can be irritable, I can have my own challenges.

Jetta Cruse: I'd heard about Brendan in the community as being a virtuoso. You can put anything in his hands, he's going to figure out how to play it, but then he's going to take it to that next level. And he just eats, breathes, and sleeps the artistry of music. And he is just this tender and kind-hearted connecting person.

Mr. B: We'll do performances and even the parents of the students will say, "I didn't know my child could do that." Throughout my life I've been more involved and less involved, and I find when I'm more involved, I'm a much happier and fulfilled person.

I also have a disability as well, so it's kind of like — I don't know, I don't want to talk about that only because it's like, that's part of why I do it. It's the idea that it's not really about what's different about you, it's really about what's the same. We all have the same needs and wants to express ourselves. It took me a really long time to learn how to read, or catch up with other students my own age. And I think the moment I started playing guitar and playing music, something just lit up in my mind and everything became different.

There's something about serving people — whether you're doing it for a religious reason or you're doing it for your own personal reasons — it's really the highest honor you can have. I mean, there's nothing I can think of that is more worth my time.

Alright, say, “Bye, internet.”

Student: Bye, internet.

Streaming people: Bye.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
January 30, 2024
August 24, 2019
On a related note...
How an Amazing Concert Became a Spiritual Experience

How an Amazing Concert Became a Spiritual Experience

Isaac Huss

How To Stop Thinking Negatively

How To Stop Thinking Negatively

Julia Hogan-Werner

Grotto's Top Movie Picks from the Past Year

Grotto's Top Movie Picks from the Past Year

Grotto

The Real Difference You Make By Shopping Small

The Real Difference You Make By Shopping Small

Isaac Huss

The (Super) Power of Habits and Routines

The (Super) Power of Habits and Routines

George Cressy III

Don’t Forget to Love Your Neighbor in the Pandemic

Don’t Forget to Love Your Neighbor in the Pandemic

Brandy Norton

Why Shopping Shouldn't Be A Hobby

Why Shopping Shouldn't Be A Hobby

Lillian Fallon

Training for a Race Improved Other Areas of My Life

Training for a Race Improved Other Areas of My Life

Haleigh Ehmsen

Why 'Living for the Weekend' is No Way to Live

Why 'Living for the Weekend' is No Way to Live

Patrick Schmadeke

Learning to Pray Through My OCD and Perfectionism

Learning to Pray Through My OCD and Perfectionism

Molly Cruitt

Our Favorite Videos to Bring Joy to Your Day

Our Favorite Videos to Bring Joy to Your Day

Grotto

Having a Panic Attack in a Costco Parking Lot

Having a Panic Attack in a Costco Parking Lot

Javi Zubizarreta

3 Ways to Distinguish Worry from Anxiety

3 Ways to Distinguish Worry from Anxiety

Krista Steele

3 Signs of an Authentic Minimalist Lifestyle

3 Signs of an Authentic Minimalist Lifestyle

Maria Walley

8 Tips for Having a Healthy Argument in a Polarizing Time

8 Tips for Having a Healthy Argument in a Polarizing Time

Marty Moran

I Got the Degree, but Not the Life That Was Promised With It

I Got the Degree, but Not the Life That Was Promised With It

Gabby Baniqued

The Benefits of Raising Children with a Digital Village

The Benefits of Raising Children with a Digital Village

Laura MacLean Reynolds

5 Tips for Thriving in Freshman Year of College

5 Tips for Thriving in Freshman Year of College

Sarah Coffey

What You Can Do as a Bystander to Harassment

What You Can Do as a Bystander to Harassment

Grotto

Hammered Dulcimer: Giving New Life to an Ancient Instrument

Hammered Dulcimer: Giving New Life to an Ancient Instrument

Grotto

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.