As a high school senior I sang in one of New Mexico’s All-State choruses. One of my fellow choir members was blind. The director adapted to her needs by having a fellow choir member tap this student whenever there was a cut-off. This was the first time I had seen this sort of inclusion and it was inspiring to see this student make music.
No child should be excluded from participating in music ensembles. Adaptation may be necessary to include students with disabilities and this can be difficult at times for educators. But we need not reinvent the wheel as we try to figure out how to best include these students. In “Collaboration and Access for Our Children: Music Educators and Special Educators Together,” McCord and Watts list many resources to help educators. They suggest that educators be involved in IEP teams or work with paraprofessionals and administration to figure out how to best help these students. Furthermore, the article lists many books and articles which address this topic. Educators can turn to these individuals and texts to gain a better understanding of how to aid these students. These students matter and educators must do their part to include these students and give them the best education possible.
Brittany Whetten: Music Education Portfolio 
I love your point that we “need not reinvent the wheel” when looking for ways to include differently abled students. I feel like the first reaction for teachers new to the process can verge on the panicked side. But new steps for inclusion don’t have to be made just when a student with special needs joins a classroom, but rather employed as a regular part of the classroom– especially since, as McCord and Watts pointed out, these measures help everyone learn. Imagine what the other members of your choir could learn if they practiced the pieces once or twice while tapping the cut offs on each others arms. I feel like a new sense of time and unity could be achieved, especially since physical movement in general can be such an effective tool.
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I also read this article and found it very interesting. I think the experience you had during high school was very inspirational, and I think it is important to acknowledge that with accommodations, special education students can participate and thrive. In many circumstances people with special needs are not thought to be musically inclined, or the idea of them being involved in music is ludicrous. It is vital for educators to realize that special needs students are capable of participating but they might need extra help and as educators we cannot be afraid to also ask for help; this helps the educator in furthering a students growth as well as their own and allows the student to feel welcome and excited to be a part of something they might not have been able to do otherwise.
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