Why and How Hong Kong Employs an Adapted Music Curriculum for Students With Intellectual Disabilities

Hong Kong employs an adapted music curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities, reflecting an inclusive education policy. This policy ensures that all students access the same common curriculum while giving students with intellectual disabilities their choice of accessing learning support either in mainstream or special schooling. Responsibility for implementing this common curriculum to all students falls to the subject teacher. Music teachers in special schools for students with intellectual disabilities implement this common curriculum and carry the added professional responsibility of generating an adapted music curriculum. How music teachers in special schools for students with intellectual disabilities adapt this common music curriculum is reported in this qualitative exploratory study. The data were collected from three music curriculum adaptation teams in three special schools for students with intellectual disabilities over three years. This study, based on three years of professional development, covers Understanding by Design and Universal Design for Learning. Findings indicate music teachers’ growing confidence in adapting the common music curriculum by applying sophisticated and meaningful strategies using creativity, performance skills, and deep listening activities. They also observed students demonstrating music learning outcomes with joy.