Creative Piano Pedagogy
This podcast is an enriching resource designed specifically for piano teachers and music educators working with out-of-the-box students: students with disabilities, physical or learning differences, gifted and 2-E learners and neurodivergent students. Each episode delves into innovative teaching strategies, offering insights and practical solutions that promote creativity, inclusivity, and approaches teaching from a positive and student-first environment.
Pedagogue, researcher and music educator Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart will demystify topics such as technique, communication, piano methods, understanding behaviors, autism, ADHD, dyslexia and much more- all with a focus on encouraging teachers to meet the diverse needs of their students and inspiring them to embrace new ideas and cultivate the musical potential of every learner.
Creative Piano Pedagogy
07- Summer Series: Squirrel! Teaching Students with Short Attention Spans
Are you struggling to teach piano students who seem to bounce from one thought to another? Wondering how to keep young learners engaged or help your neurodivergent students thrive? This deep dive into teaching students with short attention spans might just transform your approach.
Ready to transform your teaching approach? Discover how to time your lesson pacing perfectly around your student's natural attention patterns, creating productive learning experiences where both teacher and student leave feeling accomplished. Your students with short attention spans aren't incapable of focus—they just need you to understand how they focus differently!
Find the full transcript, show notes or links mentioned in the episode here!
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Hello and welcome to Episode 7 of the Creative Piano Pedagogy Podcast. It's great to be back with another episode in our summer series, and this one is a really fun episode. I want to thank everyone who voted in Instagram and Facebook stories this week to help me decide which episode to do, because we had a couple of really good options and the votes are in, so today's episode is on teaching students with short attention spans. I think this will be really interesting. I had a lot of fun preparing for this one and I hope you have a lot of fun listening. As always, if you have a topic or question you would like covered in the summer series, please send me a message on Instagram or Facebook at Creative Piano Pedagogy. You're also welcome to send me an email anytime as well creativepianopedagogy@ gmailcom, and I would love to add your question or topic to the queue.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:All right, so digging in right away: Short attention spans. I looked this up online because I was curious what the actual definition of a short attention span is, and it is defined as "a limited amount of time an individual can focus on a task without becoming distracted or losing interest." So that is our official definition, and you might be wondering what population of students can be affected by short attention spans. The first population I immediately think of are the very young learners. These are kiddos aged three to six we'll define it as that age range and they are very easily distracted and they have to be moving quite quickly through activities to keep their interest and they don't have a lot of time where they're able to be focused on a singular activity before they lose interest. Another thing that's very applicable for this podcast, of course, is our neurodivergent learners. These are going to be the students with ADHD, autism. Even things like dyslexia can impact a student's ability to focus on a task. So those are another few things we can think of. Students who suffer from anxiety or mental health struggles can also have trouble concentrating and really have a difficulty staying focused on task as well. This can really impact our teenage students, and this is not just for piano lessons, but teenagers in classes, in music classes, band, orchestra, other private lessons or tutoring. Their ability to stay focused might be a bit minimal due to all of the stressors they have going on, but also all of the hormonal changes as well. They can really impact their focus. Something that might kind of surprise you is the number of adult students that have trouble with short attention spans, not just our adults that are diagnosed ADHD. But if you have taught adult students in the past or currently, you know that they can kind of easily lose their momentum. They might get very excited about something and kind of hyper- fixate and want to learn all of the music by, you know, friedrich Chopin- and then halfway through the first piece, "I' I'm not so interested anymore. So their interest in attention span might kind of wane. You know, and that's sort of an interesting thing to think of,
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Since our definition says that students can become distracted or lose interest, let's hort first talk about things that could be a distraction in your lessons. These are going to be your environmental factors, so things in your physical studio space, like clutter. I have a rule for myself because I can easily clutter up things just with little stacks of books or stacks of papers or things like that. They don't really bother me per se, but I kind of have a rule for myself that if a student cannot touch that item or we're not going to use it during the lesson, it has to be put away when my students are here. That eliminates those visual distractions. That's something you could think about doing. It doesn't mean you have to totally take away all of your personal aesthetic in your studio, but just making sure that you don't have a lot of other things around that are not pertaining to the lesson that can be distracting. Also, interruptions in the lesson like needing to go to the bathroom or "oh, I forgot a book, let me go get that. Or a student forgetting things All of those kind of disruptors in our routines can just be distracting and help us really really easily lose focus. Another thing that can be distraction is any sounds in the environment, like ticking clocks or anything that you have that might make a constant noise, or a random noise can be very distracting. That you have that might make a constant noise or a random noise can be very distracting.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:we're talking about losing interest, that's different from a distraction. When people lose interest, it's often due to a couple different reasons, and one of those is boredom. And when we are bored, it's usually due to a lack of engagement, a lack of mental stimulation. Maybe the pace of learning is just too slow. This is how it is for me when I listen to podcasts or watch YouTube videos. Often I have to bump it up to like 1.5 times or two times the speed, because I can absorb information much more quickly than the person talking. So I have to be very mindful of at the speed at which I talk on my podcast, on things like that, because if I talk at the speed that I think or that is comfortable for me, it might be really, really really quickly. But the pace of learning can vary for teachers and students, so losing interest could be the result of a mismatch of pacing.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:We can also lose interest due to overwhelm. I don't know about you, but when I approach some projects, even in just my own life, like taxes- if I feel overwhelmed at the process, I'm going to lose interest. And let's be honest, I really didn't have a lot of interest in my taxes to begin with, but it's something I know needs done. However, if I'm very overwhelmed at the aspect or even just at the thought of doing that, it's going to really decrease my motivation and I'm going to be very easily distracted and look for distractions. So, students who are overwhelmed at a certain aspect of music maybe technique or scales or theory they could show signs of being very disengaged, of being not interested, of very distracted and losing interest because they are overwhelmed. So we have to really keep in mind that aspect. That's really unique making sure that our teaching is very sequential so we're not skipping over steps that would be important for our students to cover, making sure they don't get overwhelmed as easily.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:An interesting kind of side effect of folks with short attention spans is, because of the different reasons for short attention spans, they can actually result in some kind of defensive behaviors and that is because of the sensory aspect of a short attention span. So even if you as an individual, perhaps you as an adult, you feel like you have a very short attention span but you're not ADHD or you're not on the autism spectrum, that's perfectly normal to feel like you might have a short attention span and you certainly don't need to fit into one of those neurodiverse categories to do that. But all of us are very aware of sensory things. Sensory input are things that we're touching, we're seeing, we're hearing, and all of that can result in overwhelm due to sensory input. This is something probably I need to discuss on its own episode, but a lot of students are going to be either sensory- avoidant or sensory- seeking, so they might want to tap their feet a lot and might want to constantly be moving their fingers, constantly playing your piano, constantly chatting with you clicking a pen, or they might want to be touching things. Those are sensory- seeking folks. They kind of need to be doing that in order to think or while they're learning, perhaps they need to have some kind of sensory input. The other folks might need to completely be silent and not have any distractions, because they're sensory- avoidant and they get easily overwhelmed. So I will discuss that on another episode because I think that's something really important we should talk about. But that's something else that can be at play here with these short attention spans.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I want to share a quick myth with you. There's this really interesting concept that students with a short attention span need everything to be taught to them in a very fast paced, gamified way and everything needs to move very quickly. That is very, very false. I am someone who has a short attention span. I am ADHD and I do not learn well when I am rushed. So that myth of everything needs to be very fast paced, we need to talk quickly and go through things quickly- that does not work well for me.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Moving quickly through a lesson for our students does not equate an efficient lesson with more learning. Talking quickly will not get a student's attention and keep it. It's not a way to gain their interest or their engagement. Playing 18 games in one lesson can still be classified as boring, and if we keep things too loosey-goosey, with no routine at all, or vacillate to the other side and have too strict of a schedule, that can also be highly ineffective. Folks with short attention spans are a bit, admittedly- self-contradictory. We can have extreme opposites of being completely and totally disinterested and disengaged, or I can repeat the same phrase in a piece 12 times without getting bored. So let's talk about those very interesting dichotomies and how we can build a lesson for students with short attention spans and make it a very successful lesson, hopefully every time.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I don't know if you've heard of the term hyper-focus before. This is a term that's often talked about in disability research and special education, but this is when someone is locked in on a learning process or is very actively focused on something. For adults, it could be your newest fixation on sourdough bread or gardening or whatever your hobby is that you're really obsessed with right now. For a student with a short attention span, hyper-focused is going to be that part in the lesson when they are totally engaged in what is happening- mentally, physically, they are there with you; joint attention is achieved and they are way, way excited about doing this thing.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:So you will want to very carefully assess your students' energy levels throughout the lesson. If this is a new student you're working with, make a mental note to watch out for this, and if it's a student you've been working with for a while, pay attention to where their hyper- focus peaks during the lesson. Is it right at the beginning? Do they walk in and they're just ready to go? Perhaps it's in the middle of the lesson- lesson that's pretty typical for a lot of students, students and then maybe it's at the end, who knows? But we want to find that moment of hyper-focus and use it. We want to save the most challenging thing we're going to teach them in the lesson. Maybe that's memorization, perhaps it's technique- whatever Whatever the most challenging thing is for your student, you want to save that for whenever they're the most .
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:We also have to ensure that the student is prepared. I was talking earlier about students who may become disinterested due to overwhelm, and this is really easily avoidable. You just need to make sure your students are technically prepared, like their piano technique, make sure they're mentally prepared for the new thing or the challenging thing you're going to do that day. This is going to help them feel more confident and it will help them hyper-focus on this thing. Watch for their cues as well, because students are very, very good at communicating to us when they're ready to enter into a state of hyper-focus by repeating something a bunch of times, or if they need a break from it, it's always okay to come back to it later. It's actually great to do that, because then you can say "oh, I wonder if you still remember how to play" whatever. It might be
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Something we really, really want to do in our teaching for students with short attention spans and you have heard me say this before, so this is going to be a repeat- but be very concise in your explanations of whatever that challenging aspect of the lesson is. Have your instructions down to the minimum amount of words you need to use. Be very direct, telling them what to do, so they can just quickly go on and do it. Don't save that moment for a long lecture to berate historical literature and performance practice. Teach them the thing and then you can, you know, kind of organically evolve into those other things. There are a few things that a lesson should always have if you're teaching a student with a short attention span. So I want to share these things with you. This is what I do in my lessons for students age three all the way up through adult, and it's very successful. It's kind of like a perfect formula for teaching students with a short attention span. So here we go.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I always include a brain activity. This could be a game, this could be something to kind of stimulate their memory, and what I often do to help encourage long-term memory and I'll usually do it with a " I don't know if you remember this piece we played a couple of weeks ago and it's something I want them to remember before we go on to something new today, or whatever it might be. This could also be a timed activity. This is something usually pretty short. I don't spend a lot of time on it, but I include something to stimulate their brain and their memory.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I do what I like to call a circle back, and this is a way to review things in lesson that I want my student to continually reinforce, and I want this to be something that they're actually quite good at. This is going to build their confidence, it's going to encourage them in their progress and it's a great way to reinforce skills and help them remember things in kind of a beautifully sneaky way. So I always have something that we review and I usually let the student choose- "you want to play an old p"o p"oh Should we choose an old favorite game"? And it's always something that I think we should do. I just allow them to help me choose it for that day.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Something else my lessons always have is an appropriate challenge, and we already talked about this how to use challenges in lessons a little bit, but students need something to stimulate their brain and make them feel like, oh, I need to stay focused so I can work on this and notice I use the words 'appropriate challenge,' not just challenge, because we don't want it to be so far advanced that the student is not prepared to do whatever it is. So an appropriate challenge is very important for students with short attention spans, helps keep them motivated, eliminates needs for distraction and needs for losing interest.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I also always include something to help their body and brain work together, something to build coordination, like a rhythm activity or something like that- always a body and brain movement. And then I always always include something to challenge their ear, because students have such highly gifted ears, especially neurodivergent learners, and so it's just a perfect way to again challenge them, but through something that they're good at, and just keep building up those skills.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:The last thing I always have in a lesson is autonomy and choices. I know that my students are going to have varied levels of energy and even varied levels of hyper- focus from week to week, but I need to make sure I include time for them to make choices. Do they want to repeat or do they need to go on? So I very carefully learn my students and I would encourage you to really become an expert on your student as well. That little term, 'become an expert on your student,' is from Dr Scott Price, who is a genius in the world of piano pedagogy and autism. If you have not checked out his book, I really encourage you to do so. But really become an expert on your student and learn. Does your student need to enter the lesson with a calm and centering, sensory free activity, something like a puzzle or a musical coloring page while you're listening to music or a matching game, or do they need something that's going to be kind of high energy to really engage their body? So learn what works best. I always have an option for either one when my students arrive and I kind of see how they're doing that day and we just go from there.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Another thing I want to encourage you is to teach at the pace at which your student is learning, not at the pace at which you're comfortable teaching. Sometimes students who have short attention span can be very brilliant. Most of the time they are, and I don't want to hold them back because I'm so used to teaching in this typical way that I can't alter what I'm doing, and I also don't want you, as teachers, to be afraid to teach beyond where your student is right now. So if your student has a very gifted ear but they have a short attention span and maybe music reading isn't their favorite thing, teach music that is above their reading level by rote. It's a great way to engage their mental stimulation. Basically a musical puzzle for them to figure out in little pieces, and it will really keep them hyper-focused and it's a great way to encourage progress and give giving them appropriate challenges.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:I also don't want my students to struggle because I'm unable to be concise. So if your students are struggling in this area and you notice that they have short attention spans, really hone your communication. Be very, very concise. I know it's also difficult because being concise in a lesson is not the most satisfying way to teach. It's a lot more fun to use flowery analogies and beautiful examples, but the most fun thing is when students get it. So that's what you have to hang on to, not the feeling of satisfaction that comes from a beautifully timed analogy.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:There are fun things you can use in lessons, like bubble timers, stuffed animals, teaching manipulatives, and I have a ton of those. But here's the caveat: they do and can help support good teaching and help a student stay engaged or get engaged in the learning process, but they're not a substitute for good teaching. Ouch. So you can have all the stuffed animals and all of the games you want and the lessons still not be a good fit for your student who has a short attention span. The same goes for method books. I see questions from teachers all the time- "What are good method books for students with (and fill in the blank here) dyslexia, ADHD, autism? That is the wrong approach for this question. The best question is "how does my student with ADHD, with autism, with dyslexia, learn, and how can I teach them using these resources? Right? Kind of flip the question on its end.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Learn your student. This is probably the most important thing I will say in this episode today. Learn your student. Become an expert in how their energy ebbs and flows, how their concentration ebbs and flows. Take note of the things that really engage them. You might be surprised. It might be actually the tricky things that you're teaching and reviewing that they are really latching onto because it's exciting, so take note of that. Become very comfortable with differentiated instruction in your lessons. This is teaching things in multiple ways, allowing multiple different opportunities for your student to learn by moving their body, involving their whole mind and really engaging their musicianship and creativity.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:The other thing I want to leave you with is- don't be afraid to allow your lessons to have moments of intentional randomness. And that sounds completely ridiculous, but, coming from a person with a short attention span, all of my students who have short attention spans might have random thoughts that are very creative when it pertains to their music, and it's kind of hilarious. And if my schedule is so rigid in the lesson that I cannot allow them to share that creative, random idea, it might eliminate a possibility or an opportunity for them to personalize learning in that moment. And I want to encourage their creativity, even if it's different than my own. So if your students randomly stop during the lesson and say, "wouldn't it be so funny if a hippopotamus played a duet on the piano with a crocodile?" Yes, it would. Oh, I can just imagine it. So kind of go along with some of their silly ideas and then get back on track. But don't miss out on an opportunity for your student to personalize something that they're learning in their lesson.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:Just because kids have short attention spans does not mean that they can't focus. We just have to tweak things a little differently and save the hard stuff for when they're the most focused, and then it'll work beautifully. You'll leave the lesson feeling like you actually taught a lot and the student will leave the lesson learning a lot; not because you rushed through and you talked very quickly, but because you timed the pacing so perfectly. If you're interested in learning more about lesson pacing or just kind of refreshing on that topic, episode two of the podcast was completely devoted to lesson pacing and it's a good one, so go back and take a listen to that.
Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Everhart:That is all we have for today on short attention spans. What a wonderful question this was! This was submitted by several different teachers, so we had a teacher from Australia submit this question and a teacher from South Carolina as well as a few others, so lots of folks were wondering about short attention spans. I hope this gave you a few ideas and a few things to kind of think about as you are planning your fall lessons, so you can keep this very special population of students in mind as you hone their lessons to be great fits for them. Thanks very much for tuning in and I will look forward to sharing with you again very soon!
