Meeting the needs of twice-exceptional children through private music lessons: An evidence-based resource for music teachers.
…Lessons have power in students’ lives because of the intense focus
of one teacher exclusively on one student…’
(Hidy, 2014)
There exists within the literature pervasive support advocating the benefits learning music has on children. Gowin (2013) discusses how musical training increases verbal memory, while Kraus (2009) highlights the positive effect music has on promoting empathy. According to Rauscher et al. (1997), learning music improves spatial-temporal reasoning which is associated with mathematics and science skills. For children who are gifted with a learning disability, also known as twice-exceptional (or 2E), the effects of learning music are pronounced. Learning music provides the opportunity to engage in higher level thinking, thus catering to their intellectual needs, whilst at the same time, supporting the challenges of varied learning disabilities such as executive functioning deficit, emotional regulation and fine motor difficulties, for example (Stevens, 2015).
However, the question arises: is there an optimal learning environment for twice-exceptional children? Given that their needs are often so specific, would they benefit- and indeed thrive- in a private lesson environment in which the teacher is able to individualise the pace and level of their program? If so, what methods and evidence-based practices should be employed to ensure twice-exceptional children thrive in their music learning?
2E Music Studio aims to answer these questions whilst examining current research and reflecting on case studies.
2E Music Studio is a valuable free resource for private music teachers in order to best understand, identify, nurture and meet the needs of their twice-exceptional students.
2E Music Studio 