Final Elementary Concert

Tonight was Teddy's last elementary school concert. We have come so far in his elementary years in so many ways. Here's just a few:

1. Teddy wasn't included in the school concert his kindergarten year. It was one of those awkward questions of whether we should be coming to the concert as we hadn't heard anything. When we saw his kindergarten graduation and how he loved participating in the 3 songs at the program, we immediately decided there's no reason he couldn't join for every future concert. After conversations with his team, he was included in every single concert since. 
2. In the early years, Teddy needed someone right by his side for every moment. Each year, it seems like we've celebrated in whispers of, "Oh, look! He stood where he was supposed to by himself for 10 seconds ... 30 seconds ... a minute." That time has increased, and he's gotten much better focus.
3. His dance moves now include his para joining in. This year he made her clap, dance and readjusted her because she wasn't standing correctly, according to the world of Ted. And through it all, she was smiling and happy to support him. This was actually the first year he didn't have his main teacher Mr. Skaaland supporting him (that I recall) because he was helping another student. 
4. He's learned to play the ukelele. Well, that might be a stretch, but he got to play the ukelele this year. He was sooooo darn proud. We've been talking about this for more than a week, and he was so excited about his concert and especially playing the ukelele.
5. Everyone knows Teddy and roots for him. He literally got nearly a standing ovation from the 4th graders taught by Sigrid (our childcare provider who also happens to teach at Teddy's school). He had so many people come up to him afterward and tell him what a good job he did. He had friends come up and say hi.
   

The timing is a bit coincidental because yesterday I got a voicemail inquiring which elective Teddy was taking next year: orchestra, choir or band. I chuckled as I called his soon-to-be new middle school back. My answer was along the line of, "Well, Teddy is non-speaking, so I think choir isn't the best fit. I don't trust him anywhere near a stringed instrument, so that rules out orchestra. He does love music, though, so he'd absolutely love band if he could play some sort of percussion. I'm not sure the band teacher would love that, though." 

Apparently I was wrong because, clearly, he did play a stringed instrument tonight. But it didn't have a bow (aka a weapon), and I think they give him the ukelele that's already been loved the most. We'll have the more serious conversation about middle school and electives and integration opportunities starting at his IEP next week. Now to prepare for that while watching ukelele videos ...

King of the Class

 The other week we got this picture from Teddy's teacher.

Look at that smile!

Teddy was crowned king of music class ... for his dancing!

Spring Concert

It was such a big deal to us when Teddy was included in his school's concert the first time. His second-ever performance was this month, and it was an equally big deal. Teddy absolutely loves music. He will spontaneously burst into dancing when music catches his attention, whether on the radio in the car or a commercial on TV. He dances like nobody's watching, and yet his moves ensure everybody is watching. He loves music with such joy that it's contagious, which you'll see in this post.

I know it takes effort to include children with different needs in mainstream concerts. It requires coordination with the music teacher, the traditional 4th grade teacher and Teddy's amazingly patient and calm special education teacher. It allows others in his class the opportunity to step up and help everyone be successful, whether that's redirecting away from the microphone when it's not their turn or being a partner for a song that includes rhythmic stick whacking (for lack of a better term). 

Might as well dress to impress when you know all eyes will be on you.

But the effort yields amazing results. It gives Teddy the sheer joy of being included, dancing and being with his peers. It gives us as parents and family such joy and pride in what Teddy can do. (It may not seem like much, but Teddy remained in his place for almost a full minute without any physical redirection. That's a minor miracle, especially with so much exciting activity.) It provides the opportunity for the community to experience the joy and abilities of all the children. It allows Teddy and his peers to practice appropriate social skills. 

Perhaps the most amazing thing, though, is that it normalizes Teddy and his peers with different needs in the eyes of their classmates. There were a few of Teddy's classmates who wanted to grab the mic to get more applause because they were doing such a great job (I mean, they were right). Teddy tried to take center stage to show off his dance moves. There were kids who's singing is non-existent aside from excited noises, like Teddy, and others whose dance moves rival Teddy's yet don't quite align to the program. Yet, despite all these differences, the other students weren't phased. They know their classmates and their unique qualities and embrace them for who they are. There was one little boy whom I was so darn proud of for intentionally partnering with someone who needed some extra help and being such a great helper, and I made sure his mom heard that. 

When we include everyone, it doesn't make the concert more perfect. It would be less distracting without children like Teddy. But we're all perfectly imperfect, and our differences make life what it is. I'm so glad that Teddy's classmates are learning to embrace and include from early on, as it's not the case for all children. It was clear which classes have children with different abilities who integrate and which ones don't because it looks strange and weird to those who don't see Teddy's excitement on a regular basis. (I swear I didn't speed up the video. Teddy really was moving his arms that fast because he was that excited.) Inclusion normalizes our differences and quirks ... because we all have them.

Inclusion is a beautiful thing. It doesn't take away from anyone, yet adds to the enjoyment for all. 

Can't Stop The Feeling!

Teddy loves music, as long as it's catchy enough to grab his attention. When he hears the infamous "Baby Shark," he immediately stops what he's doing to find the music. When a song starts playing during movies or television shows, he often stops everything else and starts dancing.

Dancing for Teddy looks a lot like jumping, which is one of my favorite things. A few years ago, jumping seemed so far out of reach for him because of his balance and coordination, but now he jumps to show his excitement, to dance, and to convey all the joy inside his not-so-little body.

We discovered a few Christmas seasons ago that Teddy really enjoyed those annoying toys/characters that play music. So now we have a collection of about a half dozen that play various songs. When we first pulled them out of storage, Teddy couldn't contain himself as we loaded them with batteries and started the songs. It's been two weeks now, so they're not the constant obsession anymore, but they're still high on his list of likes.

I'm sharing both videos because they're just so fun!

Teddy's First Concert

If you've ever had the privilege to attend an elementary school concert, you know those performances aren't about the lovely singing (or shouting) qualities of the students. It's about how adorable they are while giving their best efforts and showing off their hard work. That's why it makes sense to include all children who are willing and able to participate, regardless of how well they sing ... or if they sing at all.

Teddy is non-verbal. That means he doesn't talk, and honestly doesn't make a lot of vocalizations aside from grunting when he wants something and laughing. He'll occasionally babble, but he's a rather quiet child unless he's supposed to be quiet and then somehow the non-verbal child is the loudest he could possibly be. But that doesn't mean he couldn't or shouldn't participate in his school's holiday concert.

This year was the first year that Teddy had the opportunity to participate in the concert. His teacher and the music teacher (and quite frankly all his support staff) worked with him the last several months, so he could practice the actions for the songs as well as work on the appropriate skills for a concert. His music teacher sent us the motions for all their songs, so we could have Teddy practice at music therapy as well. He spent a lot of time and effort practicing.

The night of the concert, he was extremely excited. I think he knew something special was happening, and he was wired when we got into the auditorium. Then again, so were a couple hundred other children who were bouncing off the walls. It was wonderful to see Teddy start bouncing up and down when he saw one friend in particular who's always sweet and kind to him. It was more wonderful to see her bouncing in her seat and trying to get Teddy to notice. She was mirroring his way of communicating with her, which was so neat to see.

Teddy was super excited for his concert! And super cute!

Teddy's teacher and aide were both there and excited to see him. His aide wasn't working with him that evening as she was supporting another classmate. Teddy's teacher was on stage with him, right beside him, to help him with the motions and make sure he stayed in place. Teddy used the walker he uses at school, not so much for stability as much as to create boundaries and the expectation to stay where he was. Teddy did an amazing job of staying where he was supposed to instead of wander the stage or making a mad dash to go crowd surfing.

Teddy may have been the only child who spent part of the performance watching the rest of his peers and clapping for them, but he was clearly loving being a part of the show. He did some of the motions on his own and many with the help of his teacher. There was even an entire song that the class only did motions rather than singing. The intention was to focus on rhythm, but it was so nice for a non-verbal child.

After the concert, Teddy came running down the hall (dragging his walker). He was so excited and happy, as were we. AJ insisted that we buy Teddy and his teacher both treats at the bake sale because both his teacher and Teddy did such a great job. AJ said that he almost cried happy tears because he was so proud and happy.

Mr. Skaaland is Teddy's amazing teacher!

There wasn't anything extraordinary about Teddy's performance. He didn't have a special part to play. He just got to participate in the fun, like any other first grader. And that was extraordinary.

It's More Than an Accordion

First, did anyone else grow up with an accordion in their house? No? Just me (and my brother I suppose). My grandparents enjoyed polka music, so at some point a junior accordion made its way to our house, which I was supposed to learn how to play because I was the musically talented one. (Not quite, but my parents were still proud of me.) I also received a toy accordion that fits into your hands to play as a gift, which was rediscovered by AJ during one of our recent visits to the family farm.

AJ loved the accordion and monopolized the use of the accordion that visit, but Teddy got his turn when we were there for Thanksgiving. He thought it was the coolest thing that he could make music with it and did quite well, as you can see in this video.

What floors me, though, isn't Ted's ability to play the accordion. It's the fact that he gets into a standing position while holding the accordion with both hands, which means he didn't use anything other than his core and other muscles to stabilize himself as he stood from the floor. I watched the video several times just amazed at how easy he made it look, when in reality that's as challenging as most people doing backflips. Heck, Sunday night I couldn't even do that! (Granted I had run 13.1 miles that day, but still ...)

Those little things catch you and show you the tremendous progress that Teddy has made. With his sheer determination and effort, I have no doubt he'll continue to amaze us (and drive us crazy at the same time.)

And, yes, I already bought him a toy accordion like the one in the video for Christmas. His grandparents are giving it to him because that feels better than us giving him such an obnoxious toy.