Accessible Digital Musical Instruments in Special Educational Needs Schools – Design Considerations Based on 16 Qualitative Interviews with Music Teachers

Abstract

Accessible digital musical instruments (ADMIs) can provide access to active music-making to a broad range of people, including those who may experience different access barriers due to impairments and exclusive social practices. While there is an increase in publications regarding ADMI design and evaluation in specific use cases, little is known on the actual use of ADMIs in special educational needs (SEN) schools. Therefore, the aim of the first part of the ongoing sequential mixed-methods survey that is presented in this paper is to collect data on the use of ADMIs in SEN-schools and to derive design considerations from a music teacher’s perspective. The information presented here is based on 16 qualitative interviews that have been conducted with German SEN music teachers from schools with specializations in eight different SEN areas.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Prof. Dr. Norbert Schnell and Prof. Dr. Stefan Weinzierl for supervising the research project and to all the teachers who took the time to share their experiences. Special thanks to Dr. Steffen Lepa for his continuous support in questions related to research design and methodology. Furthermore, MAXQDA provided a temporary software license in exchange for use case information

Notes

1 There is a long history of criticism on the terminology used to describe the complex phenomena of disabilities that cannot be sufficiently addressed in this paper. In the discussion a range of positions are held: rejection of the term disability on principle due to its orientation toward a comparison to a “normality” from a “non-disabled” point of view while focusing on the social construction aspect of disability (Anastasiou & Kauffman, 2013), the people first language that recognizes the aspect of disability as one part of a person’s identity while focusing on the individual person (Snow, 2009), and rejection of the people first language as being “dehumanizing” (Finch, 2013) while focusing on the aspect of disability as an integral part of a person’s identity (Sinclair, 1999). (This footnote appeared in modified form in Förster and Komesker (2021))

2 For a summary of the discussion of different terminologies see Frid (2019).

3 They use the term adaptive music technology.

4 Augmentative and Alternative Communication

5 The numbering corresponds to the list in section 4.

6 The Orff Schulwerk is an approach to music education that involves the use of rather basic instruments for music making like xylophones and metallophones. The interviewee only addresses the specific kind of instruments. In addition, the approach has many other aspects that cannot be explained here. For more information see Shamrock (1997).

7 No official data is available on the gender distribution of music teachers at SEN schools in Germany. The assessment is based on an inquiry by the author to the ministries of education.

Additional information

Funding

The presented survey is part of an ongoing PhD project conducted by the author that is supported financially by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Andreas Förster

Andreas Förster holds a Bachelor’s degree in special education and a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Cologne. He currently pursues a PhD at the Technische Universität Berlin and University of Furtwangen. Besides, he is an initiator and head of the German charitable organization imui e. V.