Moving Beyond the Adaptation: Building a Sense of Self-Efficacy / Capability in the Young Adaptive Musician

Jennifer Petry, USA

​Those of us who work with children who need adaptations tend to focus on the adaptation aspect of things; how to create the most useful device for the child to be able to play their instrument. While problem-solving this device does help level the playing field for the adaptive player, this is just the beginning of their musical journey. There are certain elements that help promote the metamorphosis of any child into a musician, but we can be so focused on whether or not the child will be able to play the instrument at all that we do not lift our head above the trees and see where that child needs to go in order to play WELL. This is quite a journey for any young music student, and the difficulty is that the traditional means of inspiring students is somewhat lost for - or inaccessible to - the adaptive player. It is my assertion that the teacher of the adaptive student must face TWO adaptation events. The first is how the student can connect with the instrument so they may begin to learn to play. The second is how to access the vehicles that provide inspiration for such a student so they want to put forth the effort it takes to play well. Although being part of a skilled musical peer group (such as a youth or festival orchestra/band) is a large part of what motivates students to continue practicing and to reach higher, a student with a disability must be aware of the hurdles they need to navigate in order to participate. They must prove they can play the music as well as any other student, and they must do this in an able-bodied environment with access issues, whether it be an instrument set-up that is different or the need to use a handicap restroom that may not be available. This session will include personal accounts of three musicians who were able to successfully navigate not only their personal adaptations but the competitive world of able-bodied musicians to become some of the top student musicians in their area, and what helped them get there.