The Musical Experience: An Educational Entitlement in the Inclusive Context. The Role of Teachers, Educators, and Social Workers in Promoting Relational Health

What skills must a teacher possess to satisfy children’s musicality and to promote well-being, flow, and relationships in inclusive contexts? The inclusive pedagogy proposes an educational and didactic approach based on respect for diversity and for the rights of equality and participation, which is distinguished from the concept of integration. Classes are open to children with or without disabilities and all children participate in the same activities in a way that is tailored to their individual possibilities. According to this perspective, the role of the teacher is fundamental, as well as the role of the educational institutions. In fact, the musical experience becomes inclusive inside a model of the inclusive school. The inclusive teacher is called to reflect constantly on his/her role and work, in the perspective of lifelong learning, and should therefore possess a series of communicative, relational, methodological and didactic, transversal and organizational competences. In this chapter we will introduce the perspective adopted by the STALWARTS Italian team in the framework of the teacher’s professional profile implemented at the University of Bologna in the field of music education. In this framework, several elements will be introduced and discussed: the inclusive dimension of musical experience: the research on the beneficial effect of music possesses a remarkable role in all areas of music education, health, and social care; musical experience can be, by nature, inclusive because of the quality of the musical communication; the positive role of musical experience for the development of inclusive behaviors: the scientific literature underlines the positive role of music for the development of inclusive behavior, the efficacy of music for the inclusion is affirmed by the World Health Organization, and the participation in musical activities is considered a human right and an entitlement of people with disabilities; the relationship between music education and inclusive school: musical experience becomes inclusive inside a model of inclusive school; the teacher’s professional profile: basic, professional and transversal competences of the inclusive teacher in music education.