Most piano teachers will encounter a piano student who has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). And, let’s be blunt, they can be very difficult students in a piano lesson setting. However, they can also be amazingly wonderful and rewarding piano students if we as teachers make the effort to adjust our lessons to suit their unique needs.
This is uncharted territory for many of us. And while some piano teachers may have the ability to hand-pick their students, other teachers do not. And still, others feel strongly about giving all children the opportunity to experience piano (I’m in this camp!) For those teachers who may be struggling with a piano student with ADD or ADHD… this post is for you!
Because we’re on this topic, I’m not going to be long-winded or wordy… because that is one of the things you’ll want to avoid when teaching these children! ย So, here are 8 strategies for teaching piano lessons to students with ADD or ADHD. ย
1. Same Old, Same Old is a Good Thing
You may be the most interesting, unique, and innovative teacher in town, but reign in your 3-ring circus when it comes to these students. Have a clear lesson structure that is predictable, with routines you follow in the same manner each week. ย These piano students thrive in an environment where they know exactly what to expect every time. This doesn’t mean you should be boring… but it does mean that you need to be aware of their need for structure. Use charts as a visual to represent your lesson structure and stick to the chart each week.
2. Be Firm, But Kind
Be clear with your expectations and enforce them… kindly. There is a careful balance that you need to find where your piano student both respects and enjoys you. Avoid the desire to want them to like you so much that you lose control of the lesson. They will like you more if they feel secure in knowing that you’re the one in charge.
3. Make Your Instructions Clear
Keep your teaching simple. Spell out exactly what you’d like them to do in a way that leaves no room for interpretation. For example, “Let’s start from the beginning” should be “Let’s play Sheldon’s Sonatina hands together starting right here.” Try for eye contact when giving instructions… and, if you are able, get a verbal acknowledgment from them that they’ve heard you and understand (okay is a great word!)
4. Rewards and Consequences Work
Choose music-related rewards that are earned for completing certain tasks during the piano lesson. These don’t need to be stickers or candy, but rather the opportunity to play a favorite theory game, a favorite duet, etc. Find something they dearly love to do and offer it as a reward for following your clearly laid-out expectations. If they choose not to, then the reward doesn’t happen that week (but yet remind them of their chance to try again next time). Make a point of catching your student doing something positive as often as you can and tell them what you like about what they’re doing.
5. Pick Your Battles
Yes, his or her behavior may be annoying, but if it is minor and isn’t affecting the learning at that moment then let it slide. It can become extremely discouraging for a child if they are constantly hearing “Stop”… “No”… “Don’t”. Save those words for when you really need them and they’ll have much more of an impact. Some children simply need to fidget, and while it may not be your ideal scenario, allowing them to move as long as they are on task is usually best.
6. Eliminate Distractions
Eliminate anything from your piano studio that could be distracting. Fish tanks, prize buckets, pencil cases… they all “call” to your student and you end up spending your piano lesson time wrangling them away from the distraction. It’s much easier to not have the distractions there in the first place. Use the piano lid and close it while you talk… the piano itself is often a distraction! Check out our list of 8 hidden distractions that you may not have considered.
7. Let Them Experience Success Often
Set small and realistic goals that allow your students to experience success frequently. Make goals achievable and celebrate when they accomplish them. ย Involve his or her parents in this process so that it continues at home. Do not measure home piano practice by minutes, but rather by ability (ie. Can they play the first line hands together? etc.)
8. Be Their Rock
You have the opportunity to be your piano student’s ray of sunshine each week. By being a consistent, kind, and understanding role model you can have a large impact on your student’s life. It is rewarding to be a piano teacher. It is profoundly rewarding to know that your student would not have had the piano in his or her life… had it not been for you.
And… A Bonus Tip
Mixing up your activities in a piano lesson is key as any child should not be expected to focus on one task for too long. If you want to add piano games and activities, sight-reading, rhythm, and more to your lessons yet you don’t want to be dashing around your studio looking for them while your student waits impatiently, check out Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library! These themed books are packed with so much more than just music, and yet are cleanly designed for maximum appeal. Each book is micro-leveled to allow you to select just the right book for your student to work in a parallel fashion when needed.
Angela says
Awesome post! Do you think these strategies will help with children who have autism?
Andrea says
Hi Angela – many of these probably would work with a child with autism – but the term “autism” is very broad as it is a spectrum disorder and so the challenges children with autism face can be extremely different from one to the other. Teaching a student with autism really requires a lot of research on your part as well as very good communication between you and his or her parents to come up with an approach that works for that particular child.
Shareen says
Andrea – you are so right! Having said that, my little boy has mild autism and the above strategies work beautifully for him! Love your work ๐
Judy says
I am really enjoying your website and someday, I hope to purchase some of your captivating books! I was Googling “how to teach piano to boys” when your site came up, because I have felt inept to do that. Usually I am a very structured by-the-book person as a piano teacher, but with boys – ! With regards to this particular article on teaching ADD and ADHD students, just wanted to say that I have recently had 2-3 ADULT women students with this and was feeling my way about how to best help them. Your tips ARE helpful with all ages and I thank you.
Andrea says
Hi Judy! Glad you found us ๐ I do hope that these tips help with your adult students. Did you find our blog posts that were specifically about teaching boys? I’ve linked them here for you to make them easy to find. Cheers ๐
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/07/11/how-to-teach-piano-to-bob-the-builder-lightning-mcqueen-and-t-rex/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/04/23/how-to-teach-piano-to-anthony-ants-in-his-pants/
https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/05/07/how-to-teach-piano-to-clumsy-kevin/
robin madden says
Great article. I have a question: I have and have had some students who shake one or both legs as they play, and not in sync with the rhythm of what they are playing. It’s probably tension. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have an EEG of them playing piano with this shaking going on. Have you had students like this? How do you handle the extra motion?
Andrea says
Hi Robin
This is a new one for me! I haven’t had a student with this before. I think you’re probably right in assuming it’s tension. Have you tried placing a stool under their feet? Even if they don’t need it for height it might help by making them feel more “grounded”. Lots of stretch/shake it out breaks may help too… but I’d be tempted to go hunting for the reason behind their tension.
Levi says
My husband is a primary school teacher, and his strategy for kids with ‘shakey leg syndrome’ (not a real name) is to place something heavily weighted on their legs, like a wheat bag, or a water bottle etc. it can help with making them feel grounded ๐
Krista Woelk says
I have a student whosee legs get pretty squirmy too. I have noticed a pattern… he does it when we are working through a new song. The next week when I come back and he is confident in his ability to play it, the legs are still. I would say it’s from being nervous or feeling tense. At this point I have mostay ignored the movement during our lesson and work on making sure he has the best emotional and teacher support from me that I can give. Taking a good look at the music before he sight reads tends to reduce the severity.
Dominik says
As a pianist my leg would shake during some performances when I felt exceptionally nervous. But I’ve never had that or observed that reaction at a lesson.
Mary says
Having had quite a few ADD and ADHD students, I find something helpful is to say their name often when I talk to them-and making eye contact as I say their name. My keyboard which sits perpendicular to the teaching piano also has the volume turned all of the way down to avoid sudden outbursts of errant hands!
My most unusual experience with an ADHD student who couldn’t control her behavior resulted in her taking a bite out of my piano fallboard-the marks are still there 10 years later!
Andrea says
Hi Mary – you’ll never ever forget her will you! ๐ Yes, the volume knob is a very very wonderful thing when you have an ADD or ADHD student on your bench. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Chris says
Thank you for the great ideas for ADD/ADHD students. My students with different needs are among my favorite to work with. I love the challenge of finding new games and tricks to help them succeed. I would be interested in tips on how to respond to G/T kids who tend to be rude to you when they make a mistake or when you make a suggestion on how to improve their performance.
jen says
with young ADD students, i try to find an opportunity for them to get up from the bench and do something music-related but ACTIVE at about the 15-20min mark. i really like some of the exercises you have in your practice book (like hopping the bass line rhythm). they’re really great to use during a lesson when it looks like the student is about to start slithering onto the floor.
also, with my ADD students, i suggest that they break up their practice time into task oriented chunks. maybe sit down at the piano 2 or even 3 times to practice specific things we’re working on. there’s lots of studies showing that working in a task focussed way and changing activities regularly keeps a student with ADD more engaged, interested and productive.
Andrea says
Hi Jen – thanks for commenting! I too use the Shhh…Your Piano Teacher Thinks This is Practice book pages for my students who have trouble focusing. It gives them the chance to be silly with permission and they love that… and I love that they’re still learning something! Getting off the bench and doing something active is a great habit to get into for all students. Even those students who are perfectly behaved will lose focus and won’t be as attentive as they would be after a quick break. Thanks for sharing!
Jared says
Don’t give up on your students. I have add but only recently was I diagnosed. I was always a musical child. I wanted to play piano. But I was always so bored with what I was supposed to be practicing so I would spend time learning what my sister was playing. She was 5 years older
But when I was practicing I would get bored with the boring music I was working on.
That said. I can play. But I can’t read difficult music but I can play a few songs really well by heart.
My teacher eventually told my mom that she was wasting her money. That woman is probably 75 but I should like to give her a piece of my mind if I saw her today. ๐
I could have been so much further if I had a teacher who understood they were teaching a child with a learning dissability but not an adult.
Bob says
FWIW. I teach skiing to kids with Autism, and often ADHD as well. The two disorders overlap considerably. The most important aspect of teaching to children, and adults with ADHD is to convey the big picture at the start of the lesson. Then teach the parts with constant reference to the big picture. Experiential learning is essential.
M. H. says
I will start lessons soon with a 13 year old young lady with ADHD. What curriculum do you recommend for a student at this age and with this need? (She has no piano background.)
Andrea says
Hello! Thanks for commenting ๐ I’d still use a curriculum that you are comfortable with – it’s more how you present material and how long you spend on each topic that will meet her needs more effectively. This post might help as well https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2013/03/04/how-to-teach-piano-in-84-seconds/
Anita E Kohli / Eliza says
Hello Andrea, I’ve got a student who I suspect has ADHD, and am looking for ideas to help me teach. The child does very well in piano class when the home routine’s good, but minor disruptions in routine take him back months each time. I’m looking for ideas on both teaching, and monitoring progress. The parent says that his school counsellor felt the same some years ago, when he was having problems coping in school, but another counsellor she consulted says he does not need to be tested (and she’s comfortable with that opinion). He’s doing very well in school now, because of a lot of written homework, and parent supervision of homework, which seems to help him focus. I have no problem when his home routine is regular, in fact, then, he’s a model student, can sit still and pay attention. It’s dealing with minor disruptions (even a 3 day holiday from practise at home) that set him back so far, that he has to start all over again. Would appreciate any ideas.
Joseph says
Before I got diagnosed with ADHD, my teacher told me to pratice between 3-4 hours everyday to learn Jazz Improvisation/Theory and I couldn’t understand why it was so hard to focus.
Since I got officially Diagnosed a year ago, I’d want to go back to learning and improving my playing skills.
Is there a recommended approach for an adult with ADHD for learning correctly.
Karen says
Thanks for the great ideas. I have a new 10 year old student who is high functioning Aspberger’s. She doesn’t want to say note names out loud and wants to play songs above her level. Last week I let her play without saying the names out loud. When she kept making the same mistake, she agreed to say them out loud and it helped her, so then she seemed to get it that it was helpful. Any suggestions for Aspberger’s?
Hannah M says
I have a student with ADHD and she’s all over the place…I’ve unknowingly tried half of the points mentioned above…but thanks, I will be implementing them again and again! She LOVES drawing and that’s a reward we use at the end of the lesson if she’s completed ___, ____, ____ first.
She loves making up her own songs so I might have to invest in your composing books!
Thanks again for all your support!!!
rgilburne says
Another approach that may help many music teachers is to know the root cause of the child’s ADHD. My 13 yr old daughter has slow processing and is a kinesthetic learner. When I noticed she wasn’t “getting” it, I wondered if the piano was the right instrument. But, there are so many benefits to the brain that we persevered. The slow processing affects many of her executive functions, requiring changes the way she is taught, i.e., teaching music she is familiar with so she will know if she’s playing it correctly, familiarize keys via chords and scales first, then reading music, breaks to pluck out songs. To my surprise, her teacher, who teaches for a well-known organization didn’t have any background in teaching children with NVLD’s. So I would suggest for anyone teaching music to ADHD kids:
1. Collaborate with parents – ask what it looks like when child isn’t getting it or cooperating
2. Become familiar with what is causing the child’s ADHD. Working memory, processing, etc…Boys and Girls differ frequently and require different approaches.
There is limitless info on-line! Thanks for this blog!
Heather says
How do I find a teacher who works with ADHD boys?
Angela says
I loved this post. I’m a mother who is struggling to help my child practice piano effectively. It’s so frustrating. Do you have any tips for practicing with a child with ADHD? Or maybe a post you’ve already written regarding that? Thank you SO much for your support!!
Allison says
Hello,
I teach a Little Beethoven’s class with one student who is excelling and the other has autism/ADHD. How can I better approach my class to make it fit for both of them? I’ve done coloring which they both seem to like, but I just can’t seem to find anything that helps me cater to both their needs.
Andrea says
Hi Allison – is there the opportunity to work one-on-one with each student somehow? It seems like both of your students have individual needs that would be best met if they had your undivided attention. Not sure of your set-up but is there a way you could work with one while one does self-directed activities?