There is no doubt that music plays a powerful role in our lives. It can calm our tired nerves after a busy day of work. Music even has the power to move us to tears when it stirs  an emotional reaction. How then, does music play a role in special education? If music has the ability to touch those hidden places we all carry inside, it proves an important tool for the special education teacher. For students with emotional problems, music can help soothe  sadness. Consider the child that arrives in class depressed and upset. If music can indeed relax and calm him, he is more likely to focus and participate in class. Dr. R. Joseph, author of Behavioral Neurology, writes, "It is well recorded that patients with left hemisphere  damage, who may be unable to speak or recognize words, can sing a melody ." For this reason, some special education teachers have found it helpful to set their lessons to music. When students cannot understand or remember certain things, singing them helps make it easier. Nature magazine reported "Music training helps underachievers. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became 'text-arts'groups, receiving ongoing music training. After seven months, the students were given a test. The tested group had caught up with their fellow students in reading and surpassed  their classmates in math by 22 percent. In the second year of the project, the tested students widened this even further. Students were also tested on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers also noted improvement in these areas." It seems music does, indeed, play an important role in education. For the special education teacher, this is especially encouraging. For students with emotional problems, music might be   _  .
a toy a punishment a medicine a puzzle