Eighty-four seconds was his magic number. I had exactly eighty-four seconds before I had to somehow wrangle him away from the window… or away from my bookcase… or off of the floor. To say he had a short attention span would be kind. To say he had absolutely nothing resembling an attention span would be closer to the truth. It was, without a doubt, the most frustrating 30 minutes of my life.
And it happened every Tuesday.
Teaching Piano to Kids Who Just Can’t Sit Still…Your Two Choices
Something had to change… and that something had to be me. I had two options: 1) Drop him as a student or 2) Deal with it. It had to be option 2 as, at that time, I was in no position to be choosy.
So, over the next two weeks I spent my Sundays planning instead of fretting. I broke my 30 minutes of crazy into 8 (yes 8!) segments that were carefully crafted to keep him humming through the lesson with no chance for antics… or curtain climbing.
The first lesson I taught in this manner he actually stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me with his melt-your-heart brown eyes. It was as though he actually heard me for the very first time. My Tuesdays drastically improved from that moment on.
If you too have a 30 minutes of “how will I get through this?!” in your scheduled teaching time, check out my 4 tips for how to teach piano to the busiest of kids.
4 Ways To Teach Piano To Students With Uber-Short Attention Spans
1) Divide your lesson into at least 8 parts. This seems excessive, but it’s not. In a 30 minute lesson, this means that each activity lasts approximately 4 minutes give or take. How do you possibly teach anything in 4 minutes? Very carefully! Choose only one goal per lesson and find 8 ways of teaching this goal. 2 minutes is spent “teaching” and the other 2 is spent having your student demonstrate their understanding.
This means you will need to seriously adjust how you give information and your expectations for how much you can accomplish in a typical piano lesson. Being willing to be flexible on both accounts will save your sanity.
2) Don’t change focus. Keep your eye on the prize so to speak. If your goal is to have your student be able to play the first two lines of their piece hands together than don’t deviate from that. Every single part of the lesson should be carefully crafted to meet this goal. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t shift focus away from his or her book, but rather as you change activities, ensure they are still working towards your set plan.
3) Be clear with your expectations. While you’re working hard in the background to adapt your teaching style, your student also needs to hold up his end of the bargain. Be very specific and make a visual representation of what will happen. I had a chart in my studio with events like “Clap the rhythm using only your hands” or “Play your piece without kicking the piano”… all of the things you never ever thought you would say as a piano teacher when you first started out 🙂 Read each expectation to your student immediately before they are to begin that task.
4) Be Fun! Part of the reason I dreaded my Tuesday afternoons was that I can’t stand being a kill-joy. “No!”, “Stop” and “Don’t” when repeated infinite times are really a downer. It’s just not me to be stern or strict. I like to joke with my students, but I felt as though joking with this particular student would be like a match to a bonfire. When I decided to change my teaching approach I also decided to change my personal approach. Kids like my student are very used to hearing “No!”, “Stop” and “Don’t”… so much so that it goes in one ear and out the other. Once I allowed myself to kibbutz with my student he really started to listen. I became interesting. A word of caution: there is a fine line between fun and circus… I strongly suggest staying away from the circus.
By making a few adjustments to my approach and to my expectations, my Tuesday afternoons quickly became much easier. He may not have been my most shining student, he may have only accomplished half (okay, probably a quarter) of what my other students were able to do in the same amount of time, and he may have still driven me crazy at times… but that was all okay with me. I was teaching him to play the piano and he was listening for more than eighty-four seconds; that’s all that mattered.
One of the biggest favors you can do for students like this is to tap into their interests. There is no reason for your challenging students to be playing something they find to be boring or un-motivating… it’s frustrating for the both of you. My Tuesday student was a very big part of why we created The Adventures of Fearless Fortissimo… I had such a hard time finding music he connected with, and this book series was the answer! Check out these books on Amazon to see if they too can make your life a little easier!
Jan says
Andrea, you are my piano angel! I must have the clone of your described student – on Tuesdays no less! Thank you for the timely help as I was getting discouraged. Will be planning all day tomorrow!
Andrea says
Hi Jan – it’s easy to get discouraged. I felt so out of control and alone… that is until I met his classroom teacher. When she heard he was taking piano lessons she actually threw her head back and laughed. I’ve heard that expression many times but never actually saw anyone do it until that moment 🙂 Hoping that these suggestions make your life a little easier on Tuesdays!
Jan says
Haha! Thanks for that story! I’m fearlessly up early this morning to tackle my Tuesday!
Betsy Ogden says
Great tips! I have two of these students. My biggest issue is that anything I suggest is “no, I don’t want to do that.” So frustrating, but like you I can’t afford to lose them. Will try this and see If it helps.
Andrea says
Hi Betsy – yes, I’ve had these students too. It’s difficult to accomplish anything when you’re met with negativity and lack of interest at every turn! I’ve found that if you just don’t give them a choice then they don’t get the chance to be negative (hence my chart and my lightening pace). This seems to break the cycle of “blah” and gets them back on track. Good luck!
Dana says
Reading this post was a great start to my Monday! I’m totally inspired because today is that day that you describe in the post! A picture of the visual I made is at
http://thefameschoolblog.com/2013/03/04/easy-piano-lesson-plan/
Thanks for the inspiration!
Andrea says
LOVE chart! Okay… I have to ask… what’s the “Panic Button”??
Dana says
Thanks, Andrea! I love your blog and your products! I purchased the panic button at a Hallmark Store a few years back. It’s like the Staples Easy button only with Hallmark’s Hoops and YoYo characters saying, “Stay Calm, Stay Calm…on second thought…” and then they scream!!! I use it for whenever I see a student (or myself) getting anxious and or frustrated.
Marc Johnston says
Great advice, I think your flexibility and clarity of though is to be admired especially given that the easy option is to give up on this child or children like him.
Andrea says
Hi Marc,
Thanks for commenting! I’m a big advocate of having piano lessons to accessible for all kids… not just the typically “perfect student”. The benefits of music in the life of a child are just too great to deny them the opportunity simply because they make my life a bit more challenging! Happy Teaching 🙂
Jan says
Amen and amen!
Alice says
I’ve had that student, too! Unless I was prepared very much as you describe, the lesson was a disaster. Had to keep 2 steps ahead.
Andrea says
Hi Alice – yes, 2 or even 4 steps ahead is so important. “Down-time” in a lesson with a student like this is a recipe for disaster! Thanks for commenting!
D'Ann Beck says
I am curious as to what was the end result? Did this student continue and become a great student? I am always aware that if I persevere, sometimes they become my a good student in the long run. But I have recently had to raise the white flag on two such students and I let them go. (one eight yr old and one 15 yr old) It just wasn’t worth ruining my day over. I felt so much better and the rest of my students got a teacher who is in a better frame of mind. I didn’t realize how much they were dragging me down. One had been with me five years. When I finally reached the end of my rope I suggested to his father that he needed a male teacher who might find songs that he can relate to. There were many reasons why I let him go, but this was the nicest reason I could come up with. After having the 8 yr old’s mother sit through a lesson with him and talking to her about his lack of ability to focus, we decided that he just wasnt mature enough. I have never in 30 years seen anyone like him. I can usually manage to teach them “something” Not this one.
Thanks for your ideas though. I love love love your post! I will definitely use this in the future!
Daniel Ales says
I can’t say that I have ever had a student like that. But I am sure it is enevitable. So when that time comes, I will remember your advice.
Bev Conway says
I have two such students…the one student never stops talking NEVER. She talks while she is playing (sometimes she can play correctly & talk at the same time – that’s okay) BUT I have tell her “it’s my turn” over & over and I feel so negative after I’m through. When she “listens” her eyes are totally glazed over! I’m not sure how long I can hang in there with this one!
Andrea says
Hi Bev – I symapthize! Have you read our blog post called “How to Teach Piano to Chatty Cathy?” The link is here https://www.teachpianotoday.com/2012/04/09/how-to-teach-piano-to-chatty-cathy/
violet says
Thanks for an awesome post. Your advice sounds great! I had a student like that many years ago, he could not focus and did spend more time under the piano chair than sitting upon it. But one day, after the summer holiday, he came back as changed young man. He said: Now I want to learn how to really play the piano. He made progress with rocket speed, and today he is a much better piano player than I will ever be…:)
Andrea says
Love stories like this Violet! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Toni Tetreau says
I like your idea of “visual representation”. I had a very busy little girl one time, and I made two sheets. One had a picture of a big stop light with a GREEN light, the other with a RED light.
This was my cue to her when she was allowed to do something, like touch the piano, sing, or play, or whatever we were working on. Then when I was ready for her to stop, I displayed the RED. So much more fun than getting frustrated. 🙂
Sarai says
I am curious what the eight different activities are? I guess it would change depending on student and level, but still curious!
Andrea says
Hi Sarai – yes it does really depend on the student and their level, however it’s not so much 8 different activities as it is 8 different ways of teaching your one goal for the lesson. For example, if you wanted your student to be able to play the first two lines of his piece hands together than the 8 could look like:
1) Tapping just the left hand rhythm
2) Sorting flash cards to find the starting note of the first measure of the right hand.
3) Playing right hand only while singing the words
4) Drawing the Right Hand rhythm on a white board and then clapping it while counting.
5) Playing “Simon Says play Measure 2” etc.
6) Playing the two lines hands together very slowly
7) Tapping the right hand rhythm on a rhythm instrument
8) Highlighting all of the D’s (or whatever) in the left hand on his music
It’s all little ways of breaking down what you want him to learn into small activities that have a common goal.
Vicky Tavernier says
When I have students like this one I tell the parents up-front “it’s O.T. for a while.” The brain-training alone is immense for kids like this. I spend a few minutes ‘connecting their ear to the keys.’ No book. They put their fingers in c position and I sing to them. At first I sing numbers that relate to their fingers, then I just hum to see if they hear it. But I don’t tell them what I’m up to. I call it “Go Fish”. If they need to hear it again I sing it over and over and say “go fish” until they get it. It’s magic when they hear it. I always talk to them about training their fingers to listen to their brain. I also like to keep rhythm instruments around to play rhythm patterns. I have to change it up for my own sake. I have a set of pentatonic bells that I let them play while I accompany at the piano. I’ll say “now let’s play whole notes, now half notes, now crescendo, now ritardando.” The magic of the sound keeps them intiruged. Plus they’re hopefully learning to count and play and go with my flow at the same time. At the end I let them play whatever they want -“random” so they get some freedom. But they can’t bang. I have so many parents who just want their kids to love music. I figure it’s worth it to them to have an adult give them their undivided attention for 30 minutes. I just let them know it’ll be a long time until they hear what sounds like results.
Robyn Howarth says
I absolutely agree. I teach kids and disabled adults by building on their existing skills and learning styles. This has resulted in some surprising outcomes. I have a growing clientele from the autism spectrum because their parents are so happy to find someone who their kids can learn from. These are students many teachers turn away but they do well if you teach them appropriately. Dont turn into a teacher who has only one way to teach any skill. It surprises me how often a method that I have developed for someone with a disability becomes ideal for mainstream students too.
rhonda bradley says
Andrea, you are an inspiration to all teachers. Thanks for taking the time to write such a great article, and reminding us to reach further and try harder every day 🙂