Music+&+Art+Team

=**__WEEK 1:__**=

**Jammin' Jenn Music Therapy for children with Autism** This video is so great and inspirational. Jennifer Pacht-Goodman is a Certified Music Therapist in Watchung, New Jersey. She received her Master's degree in Music Therapy from NYU and works primarily with children with Autism. She has a great website (www.jamminjenn.com) as well that has more videos, pictures, a blog, and more information about what she does, along with testimonials from clients. What a wonderful difference she is making in her community!! ~ Juli L

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Ablevision Interviews Music Therapist
I had never even heard of Ablevision before, but it is an award winning show produced by people with disabilities. You can visit the show at www.ablevision.com to see more episodes. In this episode, they interview Meredith Pizzi, a licensed Music Therapist. She talks about what she does and why she uses music therapy to help people with disabilities. The crew tries out some instruments themselves and they all appear to be having a great time! ~ Juli L

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NPR ~ Enabling The Disabled To Play Sweet Music
This is a great NPR article with pictures and sound clip of InterPLAY, an orchestra made up of 60 people with and without disabilities. The orchestra performs all over Washington DC and each participant has their part. Each is using this music to help with their cognitive difficulties and they feel that they are part of something and included. Peruse the article and listen to the very brief sound clip interview with a few of the orchestra's members. ~ Juli L []

Art Therapy Blog
This is an interesting website/blog that provides helpful information and resources related to Art Therapy. Art Therapy utilizes the creative process of art as a way of encouraging people to express themselves. Art therapy has multiple entry points for all types of learners and is especially beneficial to children who are less capable and less comfortable expressing themselves via words. ~Julia A. http://www.arttherapyblog.com/videos/movie-highlights-kids-with-disabilities-and-art-therapy/

Science Channel- Ingenious Minds
This is an amazing series on the Science Channel called Ingenious Minds. It is a documentary style show that explores the lives of savants. Savants are individuals that possess and extraordinary ability in areas such as art, music, and mathematics, while also suffering from intellectual and developmental disabilities. I would encourage everyone to take the time to watch some of these inspiring stories. I would also like to recommend the story about Rex Lewis-Clack, a young pianist born with severe brain damage and blind. http://science.discovery.com/tv/ingenious-minds/episodes.html

I have included another link to a video specifically about Rex from the show 60 Minutes. This is worth watching as well. ~Julia A. media type="youtube" key="cCF1xSgyKXg" height="349" width="425"

KQED Community- Disability Culture Heroes
Since I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for seven years, and was a huge part of the arts community there, this article about exceptional individuals caught my eye. KQED is a wonderful resource for news media as well as a great connection to the SF arts community (learn more at http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/index.jsp). ~Julia A.

Article here: [|__http://www.kqed.org/community/heritage/disability/heroes/__]

Keys to Success with Autistic Children: Structure, Predictability, and Consistency Are Essential for Students on the Autism Spectrum
Originally published in the Music Educators National Convention (MENC) journal //Teaching Music//, this article gives some great suggestions for dealing with students with special needs, and autism more specifically, in the music classroom setting. The article is written by Scott Iseminger, a teaches at Krejci Academy in Naperville, Illinois. ~Brett

[|Article Here]

Innovative Music Therapy for children with special needs
This is a short feature video for the Music Therapy program at Big Sky Pediatric Therapy in Austin Texas. They work with children with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities. Music therapy is a new science, still in it's infancy, and there is still much to learn about it. It is interesting to see how it is currently being implemented. ~Brett

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Liyana spreads special needs awareness through music
This video features the band called Liyana. Liyana is a band formed in Zimbabwe which contains only members with speacial needs. The lead singer in the band, Prudence Mabhena, was featured in the Oscar winning documentary short "Music by Prudence". (If you are interested, [|this] is the most recent article I could find featuring Prudence) ~Brett

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Caroline Casey - Looking past limits
-I like this one because it emphasizes the power of belief, and what someone can accomplish if they believe they can. We should rarely, if ever, tell someone that they can't do something because of any special needs that they have. ~Brooke @http://www.ted.com/talks/caroline_casey_looking_past_limits.html

Facilitating inclusion through the arts in Egypt
-This is a webpage, but it is really interesting in what they did and are doing. ~Brooke @http://www.inclusive-education-in-action.org/iea/index.php?menuid=25&reporeid=144

The Opportunity to Succeed: Inclusion in Music Education
-Again, this is a short video that introduces a longer video which comes with other documents (and it's a little pricey), but it looks like it would probably be a very valuable tool. ~Brooke @http://www.banddirectorvideos.com/About_the_video.html

Lizzie Emeh performing "I Like the Bass"
media type="youtube" key="ri4EOUxVPPU" height="349" width="560" I like this song, because I'm a bass player :) Also, it's by Lizzie Emeh, 'the first learning disabled solo musician to release an album, Loud and Proud, to the general public' (The Guardian.co.UK) Apparently, she was never expected to walk or talk. Look at her now! I love her enthusiasm, and her music is great. (mike)

Finding Nemo, LPMS style
media type="youtube" key="ggxG61mbxZA" height="349" width="425" A great video about Finding Nemo, presented by seniors and a High School SPED class of LPMS. Fun to watch .. great creativity! (mike)

VIVO - giving students a musical voice
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"Teachers give a voice to those who may not have one, otherwise." That says it all. The VIVO music program helps students with special needs, especially Autism spectrum disorders. (mike)

=__**WEEK 2:**__=

=Make 'Em Smile Day - Nathaniel's Hope= Nathaniel's Hope is an organization in Orlando Florida that's main mission is to share hope with kids with special needs (whom they call VIP's) and their families. The organization began after a boy named Nathaniel lost his battle with a multitude of birth anomalies and physical ailments. His parents began the organization and it is their life's mission to carry hope to other families in memory of their son. This video is very powerful, and the website is impressive and inspiring. While it isn't necessarily a tool to use when working with children with special needs, it is a great resource for ideas, programs and activities to create in our community. ~ Juli L []

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=Creative Play for Kids - Art and Drama Therapy for Children coping with Trauma= Caroline Essame is a Creative Arts Therapist who has spent the last 24 years working with children and adults with special needs and mental health issues. Her website discusses more about how and why creative art therapy can help. It is very interesting information and the video is filled with statistical information as well as children creating art. This particular clip talks about children coping with trauma, but we have learned that some Emotional Disabilities are the result of a traumatic situation. ~ Juli L [] media type="youtube" key="aoMwS_0PXOU" height="349" width="560"

=How to Teach English Through Poetry= I know that we are the Music and Arts section of this Wiki, but I found this site while looking for the use of lyrics to teach students with special needs. Connect Ed is a website for educators created by Walden University and is "a place for educators to be informed, engaged and inspired". There are many articles and videos in many different subject areas such as career development, curriculum, language and literacy, learning and perception, and special education. The articles on this page talk about how to teach English to ELLs and to remind us that songs are a form of poetry and are ways to familiarize children with poetry. ~ Juli L []

**The National Institute of Art & Disabilities**
This is an excellent resource I know about from living in the Bay Area. This is a phenomenal organization in Richmond CA that promotes creativity, independence, dignity, and community integration for people with disabilities. It is a visual arts center that assists adults with creative expression to increase their sense of personal identity and pride. Although it doesn�t specifically address children with disabilities, it gives some great ideas for what people with disabilities are capable of in the visual arts if encouraged and nurtured. This video is wonderful and inspiring! ~Julia A.

Website: http://www.niadart.org/

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**VSA The International Organization on Arts and Disabilities**
This is a national call for children�s art, and a gallery platform geared toward improving the lives and learning of children with disabilities (by expanding the role of art inclusive education). This touring exhibit includes over 4,700 pieces of artwork created by 102 young artist representatives from various states around the country. By clicking on the the word //Gallery// in the top right corner of the page (on the website) you can view kids amazing visual art from around the country.

__[]__

The VSA's parent website is also interesting, it has been providing arts and education opportunities to people with disabilities for over 35 years.

__[|http://www.vsarts.org]__/

~Julia A.

**Good Listening: The Journey**
VSA and GRCC (Grand Rapids Community College) hosted a theater project with hard of hearing students at Creston High School in West Michigan. This link is a documentary exploring the creativity and hard work behind their theater production project. It also gives viewers a window into how theater can be a tool for building self-confidence and personal accomplishment in students with disabilities. ~Julia A.

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Barriers to Effective Inclusion and Strategies to Overcome Them
This article speaks about the more common possible barriers a music teacher might encounter in his/her efforts to accommodate students with special needs, and suggests routes to take to overcome these barriers. I encourage teachers in other subject areas to read this as the article is easily relatable to most other areas. ~Brett

[|Link Here]

The Invisible Student: Understanding Social Identity Construction within Performing Ensembles.
This is a individual case study on a student who has traumatic brain injury syndrome. It covers the difficulties that the student, Jason, and others face in dealing with uneasy feelings while initiating contact with other students. It shows how creating a positive atmosphere and teaching your students appropriate social skills can facilitate communication with students who would otherwise isolate themselves. ~Brett

[|Link Here]

Preservice Music Teachers' Perceptions of Fieldwork Experiences in a Special Needs Classroom
This is a interesting article, as it is very relevant to us in our current state as preservice teachers. It discusses the experience of seven preservice music teachers as they work with students with special needs. ~Brett

[|Link Here]

China's Disabled People's Performing Arts Troupe
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Believe it or not, these dancers all suffer from a hearing disability. They do not appear to be 'dis' abled in any way. Unbelievable precision and accuracy. Nothing is holding this dance troupe back. (mike)

No limitations here!
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Inclusion at it's best! These dancers know no limits, even though each of them is missing a leg. So inspiring, giving their disability, that they would chose to forge ahead and embrace their so-called limitations. (mike)

SHUT UP and LISTEN!!!
http://www.shutupandlisten.org.uk/

Shut Up and LISTEN! "The only place on the radio to hear music made by artists with a learning disability" Bands include: Beat Express, Zombie Crash, Fuzzbomb and Ghost-hearted - all of which write, record and perform their own music.

I listened to a bit of a podcast, and was blown away by how rockin' the music is! (mike)

**A Project that Teaches Children who are Deaf to Sing**
This is a very interesting article and sound bite that profile's Louisville, KY's Heuser Hearing and Learning Academy. They are using strategies to get children who are deaf and hearing impaired to sing, on pitch! I was very impressed with this article and it was our class discussion last week that has motivated me to research more on this topic for this week's wiki. ~Juli L

[|A Project that Teaches Deaf Children to Sing]

Sound and Fury- A Lesson to teach Diversity and Empathy for the Hearing Impaired
This is a great lesson from PBS that is geared for 6-8th grade students to help them to understand the special communication needs of those who are deaf or hearing impaired. The lesson incorporates SS and Science, but could easily be incorporated in other subject areas. Lots of links to other resources for teaching about the deaf community and learning to communicate using ASL. ~Juli L.

[|PBS Lesson Plan on Teaching Tolerance for the Deaf]

=Arts Teach at Taft Elementary ~ A Program to Teach Music and Rhythm to the Deaf and Hearing Impaired=

This video captures part of a four-day workshop given to Taft Elementary School's program for the deaf and hearing impaired. Students
====heard and felt basic elements of music, such as pulse, tempo, pitch and rhythm to enhance learning experiences and cultural concepts. It is always so inpiring to see what professional musicians can do for those who are told they can't hear. ~Juli L.====

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=OSF Ashland= I recently learned the extent that our own Shakespeare Festival here in Ashland includes persons with disabilities, and really wanted to share this with our class. We have an award-winning actor Howie Seago, one of the countries preeminent Deaf artists, who has been acting in our local plays for two seasons now. This would be an amazing field trip idea to get kids acquainted with the possible accessibility services that the Festival offers, and a fun way to see how the organization has adapted to support Howie Seago’s performances. ~Julia A. http://www.osfashland.org/_dwn/plays/Access_Brochure_2011.pdf

=National Arts and Disability Center= This is a phenomenal website geared toward full inclusion of audiences and artists in all facets of the arts community. It features artists with disabilities ([|__web tour__]), promotes artists’ work through an ([|__online gallery__] at no cost), disseminates articles/information about artists’ work through ([|__listserv__]), refers organizations or cultural venues to artists with disabilities, and advocates and trains organizations and cultural venues to be more accessible to artists with disabilities. Check it out because it is a great teacher resource! ~Julia A. []

=Axis Dance Company= This is an awesome dance company directed by a gal I use to know named Judith Smith. Axis Dance Company travels all over the country doing physically integrated dance performances and educating people about their art. This would be a great resource for inclusion strategy ideas and community education. I have attached a great video to show what they do, a link to the website, and a link to a teacher’s dance guide. This is a really fun non-profit (I've seen a performance live before, and it is really impressive work). Enjoy! ~Julia A. http://www.axisdance.org/index.php __[]__ media type="youtube" key="m3WGpRmLF2s" height="349" width="425" = = =SpeechEasy Device For Stuttering=

This is a device that helps correct a stutter. It is not a permanent fix to the problem, just like glasses are not a permanent fix to blurry vision, but it is still an amazing device. I post it here as it is important to know about the possible technologies that could assist you and your students in the classroom. This technology has been around since at least 2002 (the time of the Good Morning America segment), and I've yet to hear about it. ~Brett

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=Beautiful Strange (autism awareness song)=

Written by speech pathologist Katrina Marie R. Lopez, this is a song aimed at helping an autism awareness campaign. I feel this video shows the versatility of music in the special needs community. From music therapy to simply spreading awareness, music is a universal tool. ~Brett

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=Autism Now: Demand for Educational Resources for Children Outstrips Supply=

This segment from PBS NewsHour chronicles two schools for children with autism. A public school called PS176 and a small charter school exclusively for children with autism. This resource is relevant to all subjects. ~Brett

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= UVIC's Can-Assit Comes to the Aid of Visually Impaired Musician =

I like this video because it shows an option for helping a visually impaired student be able to participate in school music ensembles. Very great! Yes it's probably expensive, but if you can get a foundation to sponsor it, or do fundraising for it, it would be totally worth it!! ~Brooke

media type="youtube" key="Z_yloBIK498" height="349" width="425" = = = = = Silent Night- Buhay Foundation Hearing Impaired (Deaf) Band Music Class = This is a video of a music class in a school for hearing impaired students. I like it because it shows that, when placed with the right instruments, hearing impaired students are perfectly capapble of making music. ~Brooke

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= For Once in my Life: SXSW 2010 Accepted Film =

This video is about people with a variety of disabilities, including developmental and intellectual disabilities, who have formed a music ensemble. They perform, and are actually quite good! I like this video because it shows that we should never assume that a student can't be a good musician just because they have a disability. ~Brooke

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media type="youtube" key="gtsX8H7xSek" height="349" width="560" Owl City is a project founded by Adam Young, a musician / multi-instrumentalist who has been identified as being on the Autism Spectrum (Asperger's syndrome). This song is very catchy, and his lyrics allude to the difficulties of social situations (reading social cues, etc) when you are a person who is on the spectrum. The song begins, "I met a girl in the parking lot. All I did was say, 'hello'. Her pepper spray made it rather hard to walk her home." Later, he says, "So give me a smile, or give me a sneer, 'cause I'm trying to guess here." The video is definitely worth checking out, too. (mike)

media type="youtube" key="qYcZGPLAnHA" height="349" width="560" Art Tatum is without a doubt one of the greatest pianists (classical AND jazz) to ever have lived. Many would argue he was THE greatest. Art was nearly blind. Yet, as evident in this video, his disability did not impede his growth as a musician, whatsoever. At the age of 14, after teaching himself to play by ear, from piano roll tunes and from church hymns, he attended the Columbus School for the Blind, learned braille and studied music. His legacy can not be exaggerated. In this video, he's interpreting Dvorak's Humoresque - he is one of the few who was talented enough to interpret a classical piece like this.. most struggle to play it as written, yet Art fills the piece with his own ornamentations, throughout. Unbelievable! (mike)

media type="youtube" key="fzz6fAdFFis" height="349" width="425" Django Reinhardt is one of the most important early jazz guitarists. Growing up in a Gypsy caravan, Reinhardt learned to play from his traveling companions. When he was 18, an accidental fire in his home caused first and second degree burns on half of his body, including his left hand. His pinky and ring fingers were badly burned (it's been rumored that he threw a blanket over his head, shielding himself and his young wife from the flames, and his fingers were burned in that position). Doctors told him it was unlikely that he would ever play guitar again. Yet, Django worked out a way to play using his index and middle fingers, primarily, using the curled remaining fingers for occasional chording functions, only. HIs guitar runs are unmistakable, and they were all done with HALF as many fingers as all of his contemporaries. Django remains a hero of Gypsy jazz, and his legacy will never die. (mike)

=__**WEEK 4:**__= = = =Institute Puts Professional Artists in Little Ones' Classrooms= This is an article from LD Online that discusses a school on California's border of Mexico that brings in artists, writers, puppeteers and musicians to help students with disabilities to experience art and literacy as they never have before. They have the opportunities to connect literacy with art in different ways to make connections. This is a great way to bring the community into the classroom and to integrate curriculum for these learners. ~Juli L.

[|Institute Puts Professional Artists in Little Ones' Classrooms] = = =Chinese Artist Teaches the Blind to Paint= This is a short, but inspiring video of an artist in China who has spent much of the last 40 years teaching the blind to paint. He has improved their lives in more than just bringing forth their imaginations. He has given them purpose and helped them to feel confidence and independence as they have done more in their lives that they thought they were capable. ~ Juli L. media type="youtube" key="p3Tr6LJUbvk" height="349" width="425"

=I Can Only Imagine- Father and Son (with Cerebral Palsy) who Compete in Marathons Nationwide=

=
While this isn't an instructional strategy for music or art, it is a very inspiring song of a father and son who have improved one another's life. Here is an excerpt from their website: Team Hoyt is an inspirational story of a father, Dick Hoyt, and his son, Rick, who compete together in marathons and triathlons across the country.====== Team Hoyt strives to help those who are physically disabled become active members of the community. Join us in spreading Team Hoyt's message, "Yes You Can!" Here is a link to their website for more information: [|Team Hoyt] PS: Don't forget to grab a tissue before watching video!!! ~ Juli L. media type="youtube" key="2GphmdhLMGE" height="349" width="425"

=Adam's first time back at the gym=

I thought this was a very inspirational video. This is a video of a guy named Adam Star. He lost his right leg to cancer, but in the video he shows why that isn't going to stop him. I did gymnastics for ten years, so I feel I can say that a standing back tuck is difficult enough with two legs, let alone one. ~Brett

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=Axis Dance Company on So You Think You Can Dance=

Though they were mentioned before by Julia, I thought it was very cool that I then saw them on So You Think You Can Dance, and I need to share it. Yes, I watch it. Don't judge me. They speak very highly of the company during the introduction, and the performance is amazing! ~Brett

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=Ohio State School for the Blind Marching Band=

The following is a video of a performance by the Ohio State School for the Blind Marching Band. I also included an acticle about the teacher that created the marching band. She descibes the difficulties she encountered during the process, and the accomodations she used to make things happen. ~Brett

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[|Article Here]

=Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice by Ivan Brunetti= This would be a fantastic way to get students with speech or language impairments involved in creating short stories, or communicating with their peers. I love this video because it gives a very comprehensive step-by-step look at how to communicate effectively through cartoons. This would even work for students who are uncomfortable with their drawing skills, because it suggests simple straight forward drawings. ~Julia A.media type="youtube" key="O0YCZ_4XqiY" height="349" width="560"

= = =Kent State Thesis: "TEACHING ART TO STUDENTS WITH SEVERE TO PROFOUND DISABILITIES: = UTILIZING SENSORY STIMULATION THROUGH ACTIVE LEARNING METHODS" by Young-Ji Kim (2009) This is a well written account of teaching art to students with severe or profound disabilities. It is over 151 pages long, so I didn't have time to read the entire paper, but it seems to give candid accounts of being a new teacher and trying to find strategies for working with students with a variety of disabilities. I would highly recommend just looking it over, because although it is about motivating through art, it also has some helpful hints for a general education classroom. Click on the "Display Full Text" link. ~Julia A. (motivation related article) http://etd.ohiolink.edu/send-pdf.cgi/Kim%20YoungJi.pdf?kent1239985150

=Learning Disabilities and the Arts: Unlocking Confidence= This is a fantastic article about students with learning disabilities, and how art can be use as an effective means for students to more fully communicate what they know through creative avenues. I highly recommend this article because it gives good suggestions for alternative assessment ideas. ~Julia A. (motivation related article) http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Disabilities_Arts/?page=2

= = = Taking Charge 3: Five Stories of Success and Self-Determination =

This video is long, but it goes into the stories of 5 people with different disabilities. It talks about how they found their self-motivation to be successful, and the people who helped and inspired them to be strong. ~Brooke

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=Motivating Students Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders=

This page gives some good tips for motivating students with autism. It does have some things that are specific to Indiana, but it is still a good source for general use. It keeps it concise by using bullet points, and has a list of resources at the end. ~Brooke

[|Article Here]

= Music Camp for Blind Children =

This is a really good video about a music camp for blind and visually impaired students. Most of them were neglected at best and had very low self-efficacy and self-esteem. This camp helped them to see that they were very smart and talented, and gave them a sense of empowerment. Very cool! ~Brooke

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media type="youtube" key="p5favl2Qtx0" height="349" width="560" To me, nothing quite motivates like music. This music is especially motivating to me, personally. I feel a surge of adrenaline every time I listen to it. What's more motivating is the fact that Beethoven had been losing his hearing for years by the point in his life when he was writing this, his famous 9th symphony, considered by critics to be one of the greatest musical compositions ever written. In fact, Beethoven was //completely// deaf when he composed this masterpiece. If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is! (mike)

media type="youtube" key="uCePRgqO-HI" height="349" width="425" Itzhak Perlman is one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th century (just listen, and it's not hard to understand why!). Perlman contracted polio when he was only four years old. He learned to walk with crutches, though he usually uses a motorized scooter to get around, these days. His disability did not prevent his ability as a violinist; that's an understatement. In fact, his talent may have been nurtured by the fact that he was much more at ease while seated. He poured his life into the violin, and continues to be a force in classical music, as a violinist, singer and a conductor. (mike)

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Thelonious Monk was never officially diagnosed with a particular mental illness, however, by today's standards he would likely be identified as being on the Autism spectrum. In fact, when typing the words, "did Thelonious Monk" into Google, the first suggestion is "have autism". An 'Aspie' from this forum, http://www.aspergerinfo.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/96804/Autism_and_Music, says, "As an Aspie, I want credit for Thelonious Monk". There are stories of him not uttering a word for months at a time. While listening to this clip, one can't help but notice the many "dissonances" Monk incorporated into his musical style. These so-called dissonances are, in fact, alterations of 'regular' chords. The math behind what he's doing, not only with chord alterations, but certainly with his rhythmic sensibilities, was beyond what most people, musicians included, could comprehend when he first hit the scene. He released an album of standards, more or less to prove he could play 'straight', which shut up the negative critics. He was primarily a composer, and each of his tunes are like puzzles; completely unique. Today, many of his compositions are very much a part of the standard jazz repertoire. Musicians continue to study his style, and try to get some of that uniqueness into their own playing; a uniqueness that likely came into existence because of a 'disability'. (mike)