Originally Posted By: B.D.Thomas

Below average is sufficient.
Retarded usually is not.
The higher the IQ, the more complex the level of abstraction of your explanation can be and vice versa.
But a good teacher will be able to adapt and convey the essentials.


A couple of years ago I was at an educational event with students providing the entertainment. One band was made up of students from a School For Specific Purposes. Each member of the band had, as was required by the enrolment system, multiple areas of developmental & physical complications.
The band was great fun and the repertoire was mainly covers but they acquitted themselves well.

I made it a standard right of passage for the class leaving primary/elementary school to do a musical performance at their grad assembly. Usually I had them write a piece for that performance. One year was rap, another metal whilst the last one was a rock song. They created the melody, I found the chords, we workshopped the lyrics. They recorded a backing to play along to, (there's always someone who doesn't turn up on the day despite being crucial to the piece), and it was fab. Reading ages for that bunch of 12 years olds ranged from four years to 18. They all participated, created and performed. My fave performance from the rap year was from one little fellow who's impassioned stanza was "I'm Jack, yeah Jack. I'm leaving this place and I ain't coming back". He was a hoot - taught him for two years. He did come back to visit me and his learning aid & I ran into him at a gig by a local yet internationally well regarded band when he was old enough to go to pub gigs.

Tuned percussion & pentatonic C is the gate way to writing songs for kids.

Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe