Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the Music Classroom
I chose to write about emotional disabilities because they’ve always fascinated me - From the vast range of what emotional disabilities can be, how they differ in symptoms from childhood to adulthood, and different ways one can adjust for them in the classroom. “Emotional Disturbance” affects students’ education due to varying conditions that exhibit themselves over an elongated period. Some characteristics of emotional disturbance are as follows: An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, and a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
Some disabilities that fall under the category of “Emotional Disturbances” are bipolar, depression, schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). I will be focusing on OCD how to approach this disability in the music classroom.
Zero Margin for Error: Effective Strategies for Teaching Music to Students with Emotional Disturbances by Bryan S. Price Jr. Covers many strategies for how to help students with emotional disturbances in the music class. This particular article talks about how structure, predictability, and consistency are extremely effective when it comes to accommodating students with emotional disturbances. Making discipline clear by using “if-then" language helps guide students to making the correct decisions behaviorally. Being sure one’s classroom is not overwhelming physically, having all teaching materials ready before students arrive, and anticipating potential emotional triggers are practices and strategies that are discussed in the article.
Music Teachers and Music Therapists: Helping Children Together by Allyson Patterson explores the relationship between music teachers and music therapists in a school setting and how to support students with disabilities. This gets rid of the common situation where music teachers feel underprepared to accommodate students. The article covers how board-certified therapists can assist students with their attention, social skills, memory, and emotional expression. The skills they gain in music therapy will transfer to many other aspects of their lives.
OCD is a disability that is under the umbrella term of “Emotional Disabilities,” defined by IDEA. The National Institute of Mental Health defines OCD as “a disorder marked by uncontrollable and recurring thoughts (obsessions), repetitive and excessive behaviors (compulsions), or both. OCD symptoms can begin at any time but usually start between late childhood and young adulthood...People with OCD have time-consuming symptoms that can cause significant distress or interfere with daily life. However, treatment is available to help people manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.”
Figure 1
In the figure above, there is a description of the common “OCD Cycle”. Usually it begins with an obsessive thought, turning into anxiety, then compulsive behavior, leading to temporary relief.
There are many ways that OCD can present itself in the music classroom. Firstly, I recommend a teacher that has a student with OCD to stay close to their daily rehearsal plan routine, straying from it only when necessary. Having routine will support students with OCD to feel safe and have them avoid emotional triggers.
Some activities that will make students with OCD have a good musical experience are having similar warm-up sequences that help them center themselves. I start the class off with few minutes of deep breathing, using a repertoire list of different warm-ups so that they feel familiar to the students, and rhythmic echoing on consonants and vowels with wait time so that students have time to fully process what is expected from them. Using activities that are pattern-based are extremely helpful in assisting students with different needs. I frequently use body percussion for physical patterns while they sing, as well as the patterns in call-and-response music. To make the physical space feel more comfortable, I have my students that feel uncomfortable with change maintain their seat and vocal part, even when the rest of the ensemble moves to mixed ensemble or creates different formations around the room. I have a student with OCD that truly benefits from having a vocal double in choir, and one that is completely fine without extra assistance.
Figure 2 breaks down each word that is connected to OCD, covering what obsession and compulsion truly look like.
Lastly, I would like to share an article from ScienceDirect:
This external resource is extremely interesting and discusses the statistics between suicide and people with OCD across the world. As an educator, it was mind-blowing seeing how big a percentage of people with OCD have suicidal tendencies. It is important to be aware of this connection so that we can assist these individuals in our classrooms.
Hi, sorry, I can't find your name attached or listed to this post. Thanks for focusing on OCD. I feel like a lot of people are un- or (wrongly) self-diagnosed OCD and ADHD. We use it as an excuse because it is so prevalent. But it also could be true since there are still so many unknowns about the spectrum of these disorders. I try to give as much choice as I can in the classroom so that, like you said, those that feel comfortable changing parts/locations are more than welcome to, while those that do not can always choose to remain one what is most comfortable for them.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start my next classes with older students with a breathing exercise. We have three classes before our final performance, and there is not much more to do at this point except refine and repeat, so I'm always looking for other "brain break" and calming, but relevant activities.
Maria, this is a very important topic and you are right it is listed in the IDEA under Emotional disturbance but can also be listed under, "other health impairments" so teachers need to be aware of this. I found the article in Science direct very informative and interesting that people with OCD can also have other psychiatric disorders as well. So important that as teachers we are aware of some of these symptoms so that our structures/lessons reflect supporting strategies.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria, This was a really thoughtful and informative overview of emotional disabilities, especially your focus on OCD in the music classroom. I appreciated how you connected research to practical strategies, like using consistent routines, familiar warm-ups, and pattern-based activities to create a sense of safety and predictability. I feel like this also works with students who have autism spectrum disorder. Those ideas feel especially relevant in a choir setting, where structure can directly support both musical and emotional success. Your point about collaboration with music therapists also stood out. It’s a great reminder that we don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. I also found your discussion of the OCD cycle helpful in understanding student behaviors with more empathy. I am curious, how do you balance maintaining consistent routines with gradually helping students build flexibility when unexpected changes occur?
ReplyDeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome information! I have some friends with ocd, so I have some context on what it means to experience ocd but the strategies and tips you have here is truly enlightening. I did not realize that routine had such a profound effect on students in terms of physical location and surroundings. Obviously it is good for everyone, neurotypical or not, to have structure and continuity in their life. I didn’t realize however, the effect that changing seats or sitting next to different voice parts could have on others. That was something that I always looked forward to in school, so it is good for me to realize that other students might not experience that in the same way. Following that, the suggestions you gave are very practical and can easily be put into my daily practice. I appreciate how this has helped me to reevaluate how the experiences in my classroom feel to other students.
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ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI loved this article because I currently have a student with OCD in my classroom, and there are good and bad days! Your article is absolutely correct, my student loves percussion! He loves the evenness and the patterns of it all.
One thing I wanted to add to the conversation that I would've never thought about is to make sure your materials are printed out nicely. One time, I printed out a piece of drumming music I wanted him to play with our ukulele playing, and there was a stray strand of paper. He picked it up, saw this imperfection, and began having a meltdown and needed to take a break outside my classroom and use those breathing exercises that you mentioned. Such a little thing, but something worth noting about a student with OCD. Great article, great and very true thoughts, and thank you for connecting more dots about the learners in my classroom!
Ah, I have been reading the Patterson Music Therapists book and another similar book recently and I absolutely love how they lay out their information to support different disabilities within music class. I find that routine warm ups are the way to go as they don't eat up a lot of time, but you can be so diverse in what you want to do and what you want to accomplish. This along with brain breaks being able to review past information as well as delve into the next topic are extremely important and in my opinion make the best transitions.
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