A case study of students with intellectual disabilities experiencing music with Grid Notation

To study and describe the music experience of students with intellectual disabilities when they use Grid Notation, which is a newly developed notation system, a descriptive, multiple case study design is adopted as the focused method. Four subjects with intellectual disabilities who participated in the e-Orch course, offered by the Jockey Club Youth Academy for Special Educational Needs, are chosen for the study. Qualitative approach such as interview, lesson observation and homework analysis are conducted. A questionnaire is also constructed, but it is only acting as a preliminary understanding of the subjects while the qualitative approach remain the key focus.

Results showed that Grid Notation was accessible and enjoyable for the subjects, and all of them had gained some new experiences while using the system. Some of the experiences are difficulties encountered, for example, remembering solfège; some of them consolidated their concepts of music, for instance, layering and counting beats. Concluding the subjects’ thoughts on Grid Notation, observation and analysis, Grid Notation, to a large extend, is suitable for students with intellectual disabilities and it brought new music experiences, especially related to music score reading and writing. Additionally, application of Grid Notation in future music events is foreseeable. Therefore, Grid Notation could be an alternative for students with intellectual disabilities to gain music literacy skill.