Diversity - Learn Music NZ

Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia ō tātou mahi.
Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work.

IRMTNZs Council is building a range of resources relevant to the diverse needs of our members, their students and whānau.

These will include resources to support:

cultural diversity, such as this list of Māori Greetings and Signoffs for Letters and Emails
teaching for example neurodiverse* or visually impaired students
teaching diverse instruments and genres.

*To start us off…

Please take the time to watch the following short video clip. It is a compelling personal story which gives insight into challenges some of our students may be facing. It reminds us to consider the words we use and any pre-conceived ideas we may hold . As studio music teachers, we are in a privileged position in terms of the one-on-one time we spend with our students and for a student such as the young man in this video, our support and encouragement could be life-changing.

‘Make.Me.Visible’ is a call for all of us to reflect on a time when we may have made someone feel invisible or a time when we felt invisible ourselves.

We invite you to watch the short vignette (link below) to listen to a story of invisibility, then reflect, talk and share it with others. We hope this story will resonate with you.

‘Make.Me.Visible.’

Teaching Neurodivergent Students
In the following podcast, Dr Emily McDougal (Anna Freud Centre, UK) shares insights from her work supporting students in schools and classrooms. Emily’s research explores the learning needs of autistic students. She was a member of the team that created the ‘Edinburgh Psycho-education Intervention for Children (EPIC)’ in which she worked with children with ADHD and their teachers to develop a toolbox-based intervention to support cognition and learning in the classroom. Emily shares practical approaches and strategies that teachers can use to enhance their engagement with, and the learning of, neurodivergent students.

Podcast: Supporting Neurodivergent Students in the Classroom

Here are some further resources that Emily has developed for The Education Hub:

sensory processing differences
development coordination disorder (dyspraxia)
neurodiversity, including resources specific to autism and ADHD.

We gratefully acknowledge The Education Hub for sharing these resources.

Please check this page regularly as more resources will be added in the coming months. If you’d like to suggest a resource for consideration, please contact Communications Coordinator, Cathy Martin, at .

Please see our Diversity Policy for further information.