2.3 Informal music learning and extra-ordinary learners
The characteristics of informal music learning identified in the previous section demonstrate that this modality of learning can be appropriate for youths living with a physical or cognitive disability. Indeed, informal learning facilitates a multimodal pedagogical approach based on learners’ interests and preferences, which can favour learning consolidation since the musical works being learned are already known. As well, because it rests largely on imitation and learning in context (rather than on theory and technical exercises), informal learning sustains motivation by aligning with learners’ needs and potential.
For people with disabilities, however, access to participatory and informal music creation activities is restrained by significant barriers (Rathgeber, 2017). These obstacles can operate on the physical, cognitive, or social levels, or relate to a lack of programs adapted to people’s needs (McHale, 2016; Rathgeber, 2017). Further, though significant research into music participation in people living with disabilities has been conducted in school or music-therapy contexts, little research has been done on informal music-learning practices in this population (Murphy & McFerran, 2017). Indeed, the impact of informal and inclusive musical activities on extra-ordinaryyouths is underrepresented in the literature (Rathgeber, 2017). Considering this lacuna, we established a project offering toextra-ordinary youths the possibility of participating in an informal music learning program.