Mainstreaming the Non-Traditional Learner in Your Choir Mainstreaming special children in learning provides them with opportunities to gain knowledge and skills in a method that suits them. It is also a process of allowing them to accept their disabilities and make themselves function at their best. For instance, in a choir/chorus, mainstreaming disable children can provide them with support to properly participate in the singing activities. The following paragraphs aim to define several ways that a teacher can do to help and support special children in a choir.

Teachers are the immediate source in children's learning process when in school. Thus, it is important that they know effective strategies and methods that can challenge and wake up the eagerness of children to learning. This is especially true to special students that bear disabilities. For a non-traditional learner in a choir, there are several learning styles that can guide teachers in managing his learning process. An online source suggests them as the following. Included as well after each learning style are processes that may suit for the non-traditional choir member.

Hearing and Speaking (auditory/linguistic learner) or The Word Player

The word player learns best when he repeats what he hears. This learner learns best in a quiet room with books or tape recordings of information. He likes to...

He follows oral and written directions well.
In this type of learning style, a music teacher can provide the non-traditional learner with activities that demonstrate proper delivery of tones and songs. For instance, let the learner listen to one of the best choir member sing a song. Since this kind of learner learns best from what he hears, providing him with a good demonstration of singing can allow him to imitate the good way of singing. Another method that can help in managing the special student's performance in a choir is by providing him with tape recordings of songs that he can repeatedly hear and from which he can practice and base his performance. This is also another way of allowing the special student practice his singing even when he is at home.

Seeing (visual/spatial learner) or The Visualizer.

The visualizer learns best when he can see things in his mind. He may be a doodler and daydreamer; he may like to look at the pictures, maps, or diagrams; he may draw, design, and create.

In this type of learner, a special student in a choir may need visualizations that relate to the music he is learning. For instance, colors can relate to music. Dark colors may be for mellow tones while bright colors may be for happy tones. Providing…