Art+Therapy

== The following text is an introduction from a very informative article on the John Hopkins University website which discusses the role of Art Therapists in the school lives of children with special needs. I have used the article to gain an understanding into the benefits of art practices. The complete article can be found at: == []

// Art Therapy: A Proposal for Inclusion in School Settings //
// by [|Eve C. Jarboe] //
 * // Introduction //**

// Art Therapy is a term that has been used to describe widely varying practices in education, rehabilitation, and psychotherapy. Essentially, Art Therapy is the therapeutic use of art making to promote healing and growth in a professional relationship. Art Therapists are Masters-level professionals who have extensive knowledge of, and are able to practice, counseling theories and techniques with people of all ages, in a variety of settings including schools. // The reason I have posted this article, is I believe it offers another tool in assisting our students with means of expressive communication and conflict resolution. Churchill (2011) discusses the benefits of including art practices and offers the suggestion of it being an area of professional development that can enhance our practice. Even though the article discusses the role of a professional art therapist, I believe it opens up an alternative approach that we as teachers can adopt as a means to connect with our students who may other wise be limited in clearly verbalising emotions, concerns or expressing their experiences.

Churchill. (2011). //Teaching Making a Difference.// Milton QLD//:// John Wiley & Sons Jarboe, E. //Art Therapy: A Proposal for Inclusion in School Settings.// Retrieved July 17, 2011, from John Hopkins University website: []

__** Crayola **__ I was searching for large crayons with handles that could beuseful for children with underdeveloped fine motor skills and happened to find this great resource on the crayola website which provides a large number of ideas for how art can be adapted foruse with a number of special needs, and whilst it specifies crayola products that can be used it would not take a lot of thougth to use other alternatives. Each section provides practical tips and ideas inhow to make it an inclusive experience. It can be used across all age groups and a wide variety of special needs. There are a number of listed benefits which include but is notlimited to hand & finger control,problem solving and awareness of individuality & Uniqueness. The crayola website also has a page of resources such as lesson plans

References:

[], accessed 231 July 2011

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Having a disability does not mean that you have to miss out on opportunities such as learning how to play music, just as in other curriculum areas. In 2008 a [|group of women from Egypt toured Australia], and Canberra performing traditional and oriental pieces as well as classical – Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. The women all had something in common, they are blind. To learn the instruments including violin flute, cello, bass, the women read sheet music in braile, then memorise the pieces by heart. A representative of the orchestra said "This is great advantage for us to travel and to prove that the Arab women can do more and more, and women all over the world can do more and more." ======

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After doing some research I have found several programs in Australia for people with a disability who want to become involved in music. //Club Wild// in Melbourne Victoria run regular events that support the creative expression of people with a disability. The results are astounding with participants saying that this program was an essential step in their rehabilitation, with some saying it saved their life. ======

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Thankfully there are similar programs that are run in the ACT such as, Music for Everyone with their Music for People with Disabilities workshop that involves singing, listening to music, moving to music and playing percussion and keyboard instruments. It has been said that there are therapeutic, social and well-being benefits for the individual when incorporating music into an inclusive classroom. There may be some need to plan ahead and considerations need to be made including motivation, coordination, strength, size, perception, memory, and availability of resources including teaching staff. Assistive technologies (Foreman 2008) such as computer generated instruments may be used or modified equipment. A wonderful resource with information about providing access to music creation for people with a disability is the [|Living My Song] website. ======

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Foreman, P. (2008). //Inclusion in Action// . South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning ======

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McLintock, P., Feb 15 2008) Blind Egyption musicians inspire Canberra Audiences, ABC News, Australia (Electronic) [] – Retrieved 25/7/2011 ======