Hammel ’87, ’99 Instructs Music Education Teachers for Students with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia
Alice M. Hammel ’87, ’99 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education), widely known music educator, author, public speaker, clinician and expert in music education for students with differences and disabilities, is excited to announce her groundbreaking partnership with the Saudi Music Commission where she will instruct teachers on music education practices and processes for students who learn differently. Hammel will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Jan. 27 to Jan. 30, and instruct educators as they begin this new venture.
This professional development is a breakthrough for the country, uses a curriculum written by Dr. Hammel and will propel its educators to have a comprehensive framework in music education for all students. Hammel will instruct on the following practices and processes for teaching students with disabilities including:
Active music-making learning experiences that meet the needs of all students
Adaptations and winding experiences to support and challenge every student every day
Provide post-professional development individual and group assistance throughout the program
“I am incredibly honored to be chosen to instruct these educators on the framework and best practices in music education for students who learn differently.” said Dr. Hammel. “This professional development is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, and I look forward to partnering with these educators to focus on providing appropriate music experiences for students with disabilities on a global scale.”
Hammel, the 2023 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Lowell Mason Fellow, Virginia Music Educator Association Outstanding Educator (2018) and Past President of the Virginia Music Educators Association, of which she was just recognized for Outstanding Leadership and Service, has vast experience teaching instrumental and choral music in public and private schools. Hammel is Past President of the Council for Exceptional Children – Division for Visual and Performing Arts Education and was recently awarded their Past President Award for Excellence. She is also a proponent of Music Will and the Modern Band movement. Hammel travels widely to universities during the school year to serve as an in-residence scholar in the area of students with differences and disabilities. Her expertise in those teaching situations ranges from musicianship, pedagogy and teaching students who learn differently. Hammel has expanded her work to include panels, workshops and corporate engagements centered on ways to provide meaningful and achievable goals for individuals with differences and disabilities.
Hammel has co-authored five texts including “Universal Design for Learning in Music Education,” “Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Label-free Approach (third edition),” “Teaching Music to Students with Autism (second edition),” “Winding It Back: Teaching to Individual Differences in Music Classroom and Ensemble Settings,” “Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Practical Resource (second edition),” which are primarily resources for music education teachers and educators who work with students with differences and disabilities.
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