Catherine Achenbach

Chapter 8 Reflection and Writing Accommodation

Music educators can best accommodate for gifted students by allowing for creativity and

collaboration. Students that are gifted may sometimes need enrichment to keep them engaged

and interested in the classroom, and in the music classroom, enrichment can mean a variety of

things. The chapter described typical learning patterns and behaviors of some students that are

gifted, and many are very creative. To foster this creativity, music educators should always plan

for extra creative outlets during a lesson, such as improvisation, composition, performing, and

using technologies. These creative opportunities should ideally be offered regularly to everyone

in the classroom, but when gifted students are given them with extra freedoms to express

themselves, their musicality can be developed greatly. Students that are gifted also sometimes

work very well when put in settings with others like them. Collaboration between multiple

students learning at a faster rate may be another form of enrichment. One way to incorporate this

into ensemble settings is by creating smaller, chamber ensembles within larger ones so that

students who are at similar performance levels can play/sing together. This isn’t the only

grouping style that is known to be effective, however. Students who are gifted also can thrive

with opportunities to perform or demonstrate mastery, so placing them in a setting with a variety

of learners but more opportunities to perform may be beneficial.

In addition to these main teaching concepts that I got from the chapter, I especially

appreciated the sections detailing the students who are twice-exceptional. These students may

respond very well to some accommodations made for the gifted side of their exceptionalities, but

may need small changes to those accommodations based on their special need. This is something

I feel is not talked about frequently enough, and is often forgotten when the special needs can
unintentionally outweigh or mask the giftedness. Lastly, the chapter taught me that when

teaching for students that are gifted, it isn’t just about giving them more work to do. The main

goal when accommodating for these type of learners is to differentiate teaching styles just like

you would for any other exceptional student. Simply providing gifted students with extra work

will not enrich their learning and may frustrate them, so it is important to always be creative

yourself as the teacher.