UW-Stevens Point student research advocates for accessibility in music education

For as long as Nathan Edwards can remember, music has been an integral part of his life. As a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point music performance student, he recalls some of his proudest and happiest moments came from being on stage.

"I started playing the saxophone in fifth grade and picked up clarinet in ninth grade. Nothing else scratches my brain quite the way that music does," Edwards said.

During his junior year at UW-Stevens Point, after years of long practice and performance days that required hours of dedication, things suddenly changed for Edwards when he started to experience chronic pain.

"I was playing 10 plus hours a day, and eventually my body gave up," Edwards said. "I started to experience pain in my right hand and arm, to the point that I can now play only 20 minutes per day."

Edwards realized this meant having to navigate a new way to play the clarinet with physical limitations. While taking an English class as a general education requirement earlier in his college career, he was tasked with writing a standard research paper. With his newfound downtime, he translated the research from that paper into a larger project, "Unmuted: Adaptive Music Education for an Inclusive Future."

What had started as building a new normal as an instrumentalist with chronic pain became a deep dive into how music educators can build more inclusive environments for physically disabled students.

"I went to so many doctors and specialists that couldn't get me answers, so I dove into research," Edwards said. "I wanted to know if there a way for me to continue music, and I realized how little information there is to support people who are actually disabled in that space."

In his research, Edwards synthesized personal accounts of disabled instrumentalists and disability rights advocates. His findings showed that 2% of children under the age of 18 in the state of Wisconsin have a physical disability, which averages roughly nine students per school. Although not much information is currently available surrounding best-practice for physically disabled instrumentalists, Edwards hopes to build bridges to accessibility through continuing this research.

"I learned about a company in the United Kingdom that makes instruments that require only one hand to play," he said. "Although this is something not available in the U.S. currently, I also did research on the ways educators can adapt classrooms to feel more inclusive. Even adjustments like inclusive floorplans and teaching about famous disabled artists can make a world of difference."

Edwards was advised by UWSP Interim Lecturer of Clarinet Cynthia Goosby, who he credits as a champion of his success in the process. Whether working towards new goals in his clarinet practice, or just having a good conversation, Edwards notes that Goosby was a warm and supportive presence that put him on the right track forward with his research.

"Nathan has always devoted great focus and attention to detail to his practice," Goosby said. "As the chronic nature of his hand pain became apparent and playing the clarinet became increasingly difficult, it didn't surprise me at all to see him turn that same drive to his research. The topic of adaptive music-making became a deeply personal one for him."

"She has been amazing in helping me get to the finish line and making sure I hit my deadlines," Edwards said. "She has such an investment in my research and even being able to talk about all of the cool new things I'm learning has been a huge help."

Edwards' research was selected to be presented at the Universities of Wisconsin's Research in the Rotunda this spring, which gives students from the 13 UWs campuses the opportunity to present their findings to universities officials, legislators and fellow students. He was one of six student research projects selected to represent UW-Stevens Point this year.

Though this was a step into unmarked territory for Edwards, he took it in stride and came out of the experience feeling prepared for the future of his work.

"Obviously I come from an arts background, and few people in my department have experience doing this," he said. "I had a lot of pride representing UWSP, but it also brought some anxiety, not being able to go to many people within my field for advice. Being at Research in the Rotunda was very helpful because my research was heavily questioned, and I was able to tweak elements for future presentations."

Now looking ahead to graduating in May, Edwards has been working hard to adapt as a clarinetist with chronic pain through handy work of his own. He hopes to translate those skills in the future to a career that could serve physically disabled students interested in playing an instrument, currently looking at graduate programs focused on instrument building and finding work in the education field.

"My oldest brother has autism, and I've worked as a paraprofessional at the elementary and high school level, which I love," he said. "I want to continue my studies in instrument repair and maybe start a non-profit organization one day, creating actual adaptive instruments in the U.S."

Above all, the message he hopes people take away from his research is that creating accessible spaces for disabled students interested in music is possible.

"I've adjusted my instrument including a saxophone neck strap and some bracing features. Creating adaptive spaces in music is possible, it just takes creativity, work and a willingness to listen and learn from disabled people."