Teaching a musical instrument to pupils with special educational needs: Inclusion in the Italian school model

In Italy, the presence of music-oriented secondary schools (SMIM) represents a valuable opportunity to enhance the use of music in order to raise the level of inclusiveness of each institution. Music fits positively into the dialectic between education and inclusion as it is a significant developmental experience that enhances the participation and learning of pupils with all types of special educational needs and makes the entire community more welcoming. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that musical activity promotes the integral development of the person even in the presence of severe disabilities and acts as a true “neuroprotector” of language, improving working memory, attention, well-being and self-esteem. Within this framework, the volume presents the results of research funded by the Department of Educational Sciences of Roma Tre University and carried out in collaboration with the National Committee for the Practical Learning of Music for All Students of the Education Ministry. Using an integrated methodology, for the first time in Italy researchers have investigated the level of inclusiveness of SMIMs and, starting from the identification of the problematic nodes, elaborated a series of didactic-assessment proposals for improvement which have been shared with schools and are described in this volume. Some attachments are available for downloading and printing on the volume's web page, which can be accessed from the website https://series.francoangeli.it/index.php/oa