Osborne Middle School students showcase United Sound inclusive-music program

Osborne Middle School students and teachers presented the district’s United Sound program to the Osborne School District governing board at its final regular meeting of 2024, describing a three-year effort to pair mentor students with musicians who have disabilities and to rehearse and perform together.

Miss Hayes, who introduced the program to the board, said United Sound’s mission is “to remove barriers and foster social change through music.” She described a weekly, peer-mentoring structure in which three mentor students from the OMS band pair with a single new musician in a self-contained special education classroom to learn instruments and perform as an ensemble.

Mr. Parker, an OMS teacher who works in a self-contained special education classroom, told the board the program gives students “opportunities to get to make friends outside of the room” and build both musical skills and regulation strategies. Student mentors spoke briefly to the board: “My name is Mario … I play the trombone,” one student said, while others described their enjoyment of band and working with peers.

District staff said United Sound at OMS is student-led during lunch sessions and culminates in public performances such as a recent winter concert. Teachers present described mentor training that shifted toward a facilitative role, allowing students to lead rehearsals and scaffold learning. Board members praised the presentation and applauded students’ confidence and the program’s equity-focused outcomes.

The board did not take formal action on the program; members instead thanked participants and encouraged staff to continue integrating the model into OMS offerings. The district said it will continue to circulate materials about United Sound and to share performance dates with the community.