"B" is a violinist who LOVES music. "B" also has autism and physical barriers. "B" was obsessed with violin when she was little. Her parents were able to get her private violin lessons, and she began school orchestra in middle school. However, By the time "B" reached New Albany High School (NAHS), she was turned away from the local youth symphony program, and was just "following along" in the high school orchestra without any real adjusted curriculum.
"B" faced some unique learning target challenges in the orchestra classroom. She could play all of the notes, and all of the rhythms. However, she struggled with playing at the same time as everyone. By adjusting the music she received to having fewer notes and taking out difficult hand movements (such as crossing to another string), "B" was able to improve her accuracy greatly! Next, "B" had a peer student mentor to sit next to her who also played the adjusted part so that "B" could follow along and get assistance. Her other classmates also made a point of including her and making her feel welcome in the class.
The other challenge for "B" was that she had extremely high tension in her hands and upper arms, which made it difficult for her to use the bow and created a pressed sound when she played. We were able to provide her with a "Bow Hold Buddies®" - a rubber mold to help her relax her hand on the bow.
The night of "B's" last high school concert had a moment that I will never forget. She had signed up to do a senior solo, one of the traditions in the orchestra program at NAHS. She performed the piece to the best of her ability, but her execution was audibly lower than her fellow classmates. When she finished playing, a classmate on stage began to clap, then another, and another....until the entire auditorium erupted with applause. Nearly everyone rose to give "B" a standing ovation, something that had never happened for any senior prior or since.
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