1. Civic Engagement in Action Music's Power of Inclusion! Justin White
Class: ED-SPED 350 
Instructor Name: Michael Humphrey
Community Partner Name: Adams Elementary
Purpose of Service project: Promote and provide the highest level of inclusion to students of exceptionality in the music classroom.
Learning Goals:
Gain an empathetic understanding of special education.
Learn on an interactive level the capabilities of various students of exceptionality
Assist with the learning process in the music classroom to help the students reach the highest level of understanding possible.
School Motto
Respect
Dignity
Honesty
Responsibility
Teamwork
Singing
Students are taught to sing a variety of songs. Most of the singing at the elementary school is done first by rote and then taught in notation. This means that students are able to participate even if they have not yet achieved the ability to read and understand standard notation.
Recorder
Teaching the recorder to students who can’t read music need the assistance of an instructor to model the correct fingering and rhythm. Students of exceptionalities are sometimes taken aside and are provided verbal individual instruction.
Dance
Dancing or movement is a form of expression that is taught in the music curriculum. It helps the learners focus their coordination. Some exceptionalities do not allow the students to reach the same skill level as others, but they are able to express themselves to their full capability and desire.
The biggest obstacle I had to overcome in my service to special education was my own self. I had to deal with my personal preconceptions and prior beliefs of what I thought these students were capable of. As I was working with the learners in the music classroom I realized that the joy and power of the music didn’t come necessarily from the sound coming from their mouths, but it was the look of their faces as they sang and danced. It has been an experience that has not only changed my preconceptions but inspired me with the desire to advocate on behalf of special education.