Case Studies

Johnny

Johnny is a 6 th grade student in beginning band. So far he has shown himself to be a very social student who has an ability to be friends with whoever is close to him. He is very likable and is always smiling.

This ability to socialize has caused a disruption in class and I had to speak to him on numerous occasions to focus his attention on the task at hand.

Johnny has an organizational problem in that he rarely comes to class with his band book, his folder or his practice chart. So far he has remembered his trombone each class period, but I am also aware that his instrument has not always been going home for him to practice. He was the last student to turn in his syllabus and I had to give him multiple copies because he kept losing the syllabus.

Johnny has difficulty identifying the different notes on the staff. We have learned three notes so far and he is having difficulty identifying the name of the note and the position of the note on the trombone. As well, he is having major problems playing the correct note when we play as a class and when I model for him in one on one situations. Unfortunately, using a buddy system has not proven effective with Johnny because it causes him too many other problems with social distractions.

According to Johnny’s IEP…”His performance depends on the amount of effort that he gives on his assignments. His greatest weaknesses this year are his lack of effort, motivation and impulsivity…Additionally, even with daily organizational checks he loses assignments (the same writing prompt three times). He is constantly distracted by what is going on around him and often engages in socialization rather than concentrating on his work.”

Solutions

1. I met with IEP Case Manager to discuss Johnny’s issues in band
2. At her suggestion, Johnny’s book, folder and practice chart have all been hole-punched so it can now be part of his school binder.
3. I have moved Johnny so that he is has at least one chair between him and the next student. This has drastically cut down on his ability to socialize and is resulting in less class disruption.
4. I made Johnny flash cards for the notes we have learned so he can practice at home.
5. I have sent message via Case Manager to his mother requesting a conference to discuss my concerns about his inability to play the correct pitches.. I will follow up this week with the mother. I will make sure she knows how to help him access blackboard where there are recordings of the pitches for Johnny to use at home.
6. I made Johnny cards to have on his stand that show the picture of each note we have learned with the note name and position written underneath. When we are preparing to begin an exercise he is able to quickly look on his stand if there is confusion about a note name or position. I noticed in subsequent classes that he brought these out of his folder and set them up before class. I was impressed that he took this initiative and it shows he is motivated to play the correct notes.