Adaptation Everywhere: An Interview With Laurel Rosen-Weatherford
Providing music therapy services to clients ages 2.5-26 within a continuum of school settings, Laurel Rosen-Weatherford believes that all students can participate in music making. She creates an inclusive environment that offers opportunities to explore, engage, and learn from each other. In this podcast, Laurel emphasizes the importance of Universal Design for Learning and gives examples from her clinical practice including adapting to participants and their level of engagement for joint music making. Through consultation with the school district’s assistive technology consultants, Laurel recognizes the difference between low-tech (e.g., large-size visual cards for “go” and “stop”) and high-tech (e.g., client’s individual core boards on devices or eye gaze technology) and utilizes both in daily practice. She also discusses adapting instruments, describes the “Dr. G. Method” for alternative music notation, and gives structured songwriting ideas. Laurel has experience outside the classroom environment providing sessions on Zoom, courtyard music with families, and intergenerational services in senior citizen centers. Her greatest advice to listeners is “to watch what your students are doing” to guide adaptations and how to adjust expectations.
Resources
- Dinnebeil, L. A., & McInerney, W. F. (2011). A guide to itinerant early childhood special education services. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.
- Stoiber, K. C. (2015). Multi-tiered systems of support and evidence-based practices. In M. Gettinger (Ed.), Handbook of response to intervention: The science and practice of multi-tiered system of support (pp. 121–141). Springer.
About The Interviewee
Laurel Rosen-Weatherford, MM, MT-BC, works at the Monroe County Intermediate School District. She teaches undergraduate courses for Lourdes University and University of Toledo and serves on various boards and organizations. She is eager to create opportunities so that every learner can participate. Contact: laurel.rosen-weatherford@monroeisd.us
Suggested Citation
Shina, E. (2023, July 15). Adaptation everywhere: An interview with Laurel Rosen-Weatherford [Audio podcast]. imagine. www.imagine.musictherapy.biz