Inclusive Music Education for Students with Disabilities: A Mini Review

Inclusive music education has gained increasing attention as part of broader efforts to ensure equitable access to education for students with disabilities. However, persistent tensions remain between formal access and meaningful participation in music learning contexts. This mini review adopts a structured narrative review approach to synthesise recent literature on the conceptual, pedagogical, and technological developments shaping inclusive music education. The review identifies three dominant orientations within the field: special education approaches, inclusive mainstream practices, and transformative disability-informed perspectives that challenge ableist assumptions in music pedagogy. In addition, it critically examines the role of policy frameworks, teacher preparedness, and emerging innovations such as Accessible Digital Musical Instruments and Universal Design for Learning. Findings indicate that while inclusive music education holds significant potential in fostering participation, identity formation, and social engagement, its implementation remains uneven due to systemic constraints, limited pedagogical translation, and insufficient teacher preparation. This study argues that inclusive music education should move beyond accommodation toward a reconceptualisation of musical ability, pedagogy, and participation. By synthesising fragmented perspectives into a coherent analytical framework, this review contributes to advancing a more critically informed and practice-oriented discourse in inclusive music education.

Inclusive music education; disability; Universal Design for Learning; assistive technology; music pedagogy; equity

1. Augustine, J. M., & Lucas, C. (2026). Systematic, narrative, scoping or rapid reviews—when, why and how to choose the best option in pharmacy education. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 18(7), 102613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2026.102613 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Austin-Stewart, J. (2024). Hello! I’ve been here the whole time: When non-cochlear sound art meets disability aesthetics. Organised Sound, 29(3), 285–291. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771824000232 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Baheti, S. S., & Joshi, A. S. (2025). Understanding intellectual contribution on sustainable fashion: A systematic literature review and bibliometric visualization 1991–2024. In Global Impacts and Sustainable Practices in Fast Fashion (pp. 353–385). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-7853-3.ch014 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Berger, D., & Milić, M. (2023). Experiences and perceptions of instrumental music teachers about the inclusive education of learners with disabilities. Croatian Journal of Education, 25(4), 1261–1295. https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v25i4.4869 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Casanovas, A. P. (2025). Deconstruction or reinforcement? How modernist disability aesthetics did or did not challenge historical normates. Humana Mente, 18(47), 207–224. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. https://www.humanamente.eu/index.php/HM/article/view/509/390 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Crawford, R. (2017). Creating unity through celebrating diversity: A case study that explores the impact of music education on refugee background students. International Journal of Music Education, 35(3), 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761416659511 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Crawford, R. (2020). Socially inclusive practices in the music classroom. Research Studies in Music Education, 42(2), 248–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X19843001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Crockett, J. B. (2017). Legal aspects of teaching music students with disabilities. Music Educators Journal, 104(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432117712802 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Darrow, A.-A., & Adamek, M. S. (2017). Recent and continuing initiatives and practices in special education. Music Educators Journal, 104(2), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432117733029 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Di Paolo, A., & Todino, M. D. (2025). Inclusive music education in the digital age. Encyclopedia, 5(3), Article 102. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia5030102 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Draper, A. R. (2024). Disrupting ableism in music education through preservice preparation. In M. Haning, J. A. Stevens, & B. N. Weidner (Eds.), Points of disruption in the music education curriculum: Volume 1: Systemic changes (pp. 51–66). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003410645-4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Draper, A. R., & Bartolome, S. J. (2021). Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education (AMASE): An ethnography of an individual music instruction program for students with disabilities. Journal of Research in Music Education, 69(3), 258–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429421990337 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Duarte, E. G., Cossette, I., & Wanderley, M. M. (2023). Analysis of accessible digital musical instruments through the lens of disability models: A case study with instruments targeting d/Deaf people. Frontiers in Computer Science, 5, Article 1158476. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2023.1158476 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Hammel, A. M., & Hourigan, R. M. (2024). Teaching music to students with differences and disabilities: A label-free approach. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780197689356.001.0001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Hersh, M., Leporini, B., & Buzzi, M. (2020). ICT to support inclusive education: Introduction to the special thematic session. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 12377, 123–128. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58805-2_15 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Jellison, J. A. (2015). Including everyone: Creating music classrooms where all children learn. Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Mezquita, B., Martín-Delgado, L., Wennberg-Capellades, L., & Borrego, Á. (2025). A comparison of OpenAlex with Scopus and Web of Science for tracking scholarly nursing literature. SAGE Open Nursing, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251361012 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Mommo, O., Sutela, K., & Mononen, R. (2025). Inclusion and pedagogical support for students with special educational needs in music lessons: A systematic review. Research Studies in Music Education, 47(3), 403–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X251342143 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Moreno, D., Moreira, A., Tymoshchuk, O., & Marques, C. (2021). A child with cerebral palsy in arts education programmes: Building scaffoldings for inclusion. In Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing (Vol. 1345, pp. 172–190). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70187-1_13 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Siegal, C. R. (2026). Music class participation of high school students with disability, low-income, or English learner statuses in Massachusetts in 2023. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 44(2), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233251355549 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Sobol, E. S. (2011). Music learning in special education: Focus on autism and developmental disabilities. In MENC handbook of research on music learning: Applications (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199754397.003.0006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Stern, C., Valenzuela, C., Whitehorn, A., Pollock, D., Minooee, S., Gohil, D. A., et al. (2026). Evidence synthesis methodology for questions relating to barriers and enablers in health care: A scoping review. JBI Evidence Synthesis. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-25-00265 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Thompson, G., de Bruin, L., Subiantoro, M., & Skinner, A. (2025). Hidden diversity in the conservatoire: A qualitative enquiry into the experiences of higher education music students with disability. International Journal of Music Education, 43(4), 677–690. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. https://doi.org/10.1177/02557614241237235 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Valente, A., Holanda, M., Mariano, A. M., Furuta, R., & Da Silva, D. (2022). Analysis of academic databases for literature review in the computer science education field. Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE56618.2022.9962393 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Wong, M. W.-Y. (2025). Why and how Hong Kong employs an adapted music curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities. In The Oxford handbook of special music education and music therapy (pp. 144–158). https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197757192.013.0011 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Yinger, O. S., Vasil, M., Robinson, A. S., Jaspersen, M., Eisenbaum, E., & Mullis, L. C. (2023). Universal Design for Learning in a music camp. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 42(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233221118905 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study