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Becc S., Australia

I only teach private lessons. I have one with ADHD. He is 8. He started when he was almost 7. I had to make sure I did a few activities during the session. We would do a bit of review, a bit of rhythm, and then a song we were working on. With ADHD, the individual has too much information coming in so cannot cope well in groups. I couldn’t imagine the child I teach coping in a shared lesson. The stimulation from his surroundings would be too much.

Susan M., Canada

I have four students with ADHD. One is having a hard time in the shared lesson and I think in time, I’ll have to make a change. The others are on their own and each week is always unpredictable with mood and energy. Two boys take medication and they can manage better, but they are both very sensitive too. They are different, but managing their learning needs is challenging. Parents are strong allies in all cases which is really important.

Carrie L., Michigan

I usually end up in private for students. I would suggest that doing different things and switching up very often has been the key for my students with ADHD.

I have several special needs students. A couple are in 15-minute private lessons and a couple are doing 30-minute private. There’s one that has learning disabilities who is in a shared lesson successfully. I have sisters that are together. And I have another one in a private 15-minute lesson. He loved the shared lesson but he just couldn’t keep up and really needed individual time.

Sherrie A., California

I have an 8-year-old ADHD student in a group that started off with four students, but now we are down to 3. To add to the challenge, the other two are my own kids! His ADHD can be challenging in the group, but we have managed okay. I’m exhausted after the lessons but it is working okay. We meet on a Saturday morning so it’s not after he’s been sitting at school all day and I’m sure that helps.

I have found that I actually have to keep things less energetic during the lesson because his energy builds quickly. I try to stay on top of the rules and find we go over all the rules every lesson, briefly…like where and how to stand at the piano to be respectful to the person at the piano, to raise your hand before speaking, etc. I remove as many distractions as I can, including shutting my blinds if necessary. We spend a very short amount of time on each item.

I also found that I have to teach the new material right away instead of at the end. If they behave well, they are rewarded with time at the end to play the songs they want to play for me (playlist check of sorts as well as songs they’ve made up and are excited about). It has been a trial and error thing, and some weeks work better than others.

I feel like piano could have so many positive effects on their ADHD, not coming from any research or anything. It is so hard for my student to slow down and control the events but I make him do it, and it has to help him in other areas of his life! He is learning to talk it out and remind himself to pause, think, then act. I also think this method is great for it because the process of looking at music then down to the fingers at the piano provides too much room for distraction. But if their gaze is always on their fingers, their focus is improved.