149. Special Needs Music, with Stephen Flinn

Discover what’s possible when students lead the beat. 

Stephen Flinn has been teaching music for over three decades. As a master trainer of the Rhythmic Arts Project curriculum, Stephen facilitates percussion-ensemble classes to students of all diagnoses.

He has been featured in many international publications, including the Modern Drummer and DownBeat magazines, and published his first book, Contemporary Urban Percussion, in 2016. Stephen has also appeared on over 40 commercial releases of creative music and has toured extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States. 

In this conversation, we discuss:

• The benefits of learning a musical instrument, such as increased focus, listening, communication, confidence, motor strength, stress management, and cognitive development
• Generalizing skills outside music class
• Stephen’s alternative notation system on piano
• How to use drums to communicate with non-speakers
• What Stephen has learned from working with autistic students 
• Why he decided to spend 6 months as a monk in Thailand and how that experience influenced his teaching
• The biggest mistake many musicians make

To learn more about Stephen Flinn, please visit specialneedsmusic.com. 

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