Unified Drumming

At Mikey’s high school, everything that was a combination of special kiddos and typical peers was called ‘Unified.’ This title comes from Special Olympics which sponsors Unified Sports. The mission of Unified Sports is to get special needs kids involved with sports. Mikey participated in Unified Basketball and Unified Soccer.  There was even a Unified Theater program that was created by an extraordinary student at his school, but it conflicted with sports and Mikey chose to stick with the sports he loved.

In high school, he also took a class called Unified Wellness. The typical kids had this on their schedule as well and they would participate with the special needs kids as buddies and facilitators. As a part of this class, once a week, one of the teachers would teach a class they called Unified Drumming.  

Each person was given a large fitness ball in a big plastic bucket (to keep the ball from rolling away) and a pair of drumsticks.  The teacher would lead the routine and the students could follow along, drumming and getting a good upper body workout while they enjoyed time with their peers.  Mikey usually sat down for this class because it helped him to stay focused and in one place (especially in the gym where he was used to getting to run around).

Mikey loved this class and he really enjoyed getting paired up with typical peers who helped him with what was expected. It is always cool to march to the beat of your own drum, but being included is pretty great too!