Okay. Let’s do this!
First, please read the previous post, Practicing a Musical Instrument: When Kids Get Stuck. The entire article applies to ADHD. Learn about the Wall of Awful, strewing, curating the environment, and keeping track of interoception. Once you are up to speed, let’s add some more ideas and ADHD-specific supports.
Quick reminder: kids with ADHD want to do well. They are not just being obstinate or lazy. When we match these kids up with the right supports, they shine.
Listening. It is so simple yet such a huge key to music learning. Listening to the right music (such as pieces you are learning or will be learning) will multiply the result of your practice time. It is a passive way to contribute to your learning, and is ADHD-friendly. Bonus: it’s fine if this is passive listening. Listen while riding in the car, reading a book, or eating breakfast.
Utilize the ADHD ability of hyperfocus as a super power. As you find ways to connect the music to your interests, the interest-based pursuit can help your child tap into hyperfocus, where they fixate on the task at hand and find their flow.
Chunking material plus offering frequent breaks. Don’t think all the daily practice must be done in one single session. You can divideit up into smaller chunks. Breaking it up with other activities can help. The teacher can likewise break down assignments into bite-sized chunks. For instance, highlighting a very small section of music to focus on correcting the intonation. Another option is to work for a longer period but “bounce around’ on the list of assignments to keep engagement and focus.
Aim for staying within the healthy “rubber band of stretch” with the challenge level of the current goal. Picture a rubber band: if there is not enough stretch then it just hangs limply. If you stretch it really far, it will inevitably snap and break. The sweet spot is enough challenge to cause a healthy and manageable amount of stretch and effort, but not so much that things fall apart and become highly stressful. If the work is too easy, it is boring, progress is slow, and there isn’t much learning taking place. If it is too hard, you may see discouragement, quitting or meltdowns. Find the goldilocks zone of just-right amount of challenge.
Take a top-down approach in explaining the work to help give a child or teen perspective. It infuses the mundane work with purpose. Explaining the purpose is also very helpful to bright and gifted kids, who are motivated by understanding the big picture. An example could be that the child really wants to learn to play the theme song to Zelda, Breath of the Wild. The teacher might play the piece for the child and then explain the steps to getting there: proper position, learning finger placement with scales, practicing some simpler pieces to build the skills needed. Playing with a metronome. Whatever the list of needed steps are, the teacher could list them out and so the child can see as they get closer to the goal. The top-down approach could be a higher top: playing in an orchestra, or majoring in music in college. There are still loads of steps and eventually those steps lead to daily practice.
Avoid offering extrinsic rewards for completing work. It can initially get results, but science has demonstrated that in the long run, extrinsic rewards diminish intrinsic motivation and make things worse. If you offer a candy for a half hour of practice, it tells the child the value of the practice is the piece of candy. Sure, everyone might slip in an extrinsic reward now and then, so please don’t feel judged. Consider reserving them for short-term, necessary tasks that are very difficult for your child.
If your child utilizes the support of ADHD medication, consider timing the practice for a time of day when the medication is in full effect. Practicing at the end of the day when the medication is completely gone from their system may be more difficult.
Some people with ADHD experience something called, rejection sensitivity dysphoria. This is where they feel extreme sensitivity around real or perceived rejection or failure. Read more about it in this ADDitude magazine article. With children, if the parents and teacher can be aware of RSD, it may help in how they deliver feedback to the child. One tip is to sandwich any constructive criticism with true compliments. Compliment, Constructive, Compliment. Just be sure to keep it all true and accurate. Another way to tread gently with RSD could be to focus more on nonverbal communication. A music teacher can share a great deal of information with a student without actually talking. At home, a parent can take a similar approach in supporting the child.
Warmly,
Christina
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