Seeking Patient Piano teacher for child with ADHD
I am seeking a piano teacher that really understands the learning needs of children with ADHD. My 7 yr old daughter was dropped by her first teacher for getting too distracted and fidgety during lessons. Her current teacher said she had experience with neurodiverse kids but there are many distractions in the studio and i have noticed an angry and unkind tone from the teacher when my child gets distracted or “tired” (which is what my daughter just says when she is overwhelmed by too much verbal correction). My child still wants lessons and is eager to learn. She is musical and can play most things by ear but needs someone who will just make it more fun and be patient when she starts to lose focus. It would be great if half of the lesson was focused concentration and the other half was just to noodle around and jam together. I just really want to find someone she can work with rather than make her give it up or endure someone losing patience with her for her challenges from ADHD. Im willing to drive farther but Oakland or San Leandro preferred.
Parent Replies
I can recommend Olivia Ryder, she teaches in Rockridge, Oakland: https://oliviaryderpiano.squarespace.com/about-me
My son took lessons with her from age 5-7. We only stopped because we moved out of the Bay Area. Olivia teaches 20-30 students, the vast majority are children and teens. My son doesn't have ADHD, but trouble focusing. She's a loving teacher that does exactly what you say, teach, and when my son would get overwhelmed or tired, she'd be silly or play with him. At the same time, she wants to see continuous progress. She also hosts recitals twice a year, which are a great opportunity for kids to practice performing on stage and get inspired by peers.
Susan Rancer is a music therapist and piano (+ other instruments) teacher who pretty much does what you're asking for. I believe all of her clients are neurodiverse individuals (mostly children, but some adults). She recently moved to Lafayette from Piedmont, but we are located in Berkeley and the commute has not been bad (we avoided times when traffic is heavy). My 9-year-old autistic daughter has been getting lessons from Susan for a couple of years and has definitely made strides. She is reading music now and starting to play songs with two hands. The lessons have also helped her fine motor skills. Half of the 30-minute session is the piano lesson, and the other half is focused on my daughter being able to play around on a myriad of different instruments Susan has in her studio, usually with Susan singing and playing along on guitar. I don't know if she has any openings right now, but she may. Https://susanrancer.com. Her contact info is on the website.
I can recommend Marianne Barlow who taught our neurodivergent kid for years. We only stopped because our kid's afternoon schedule got too full and something had to give. We were sad to stop piano with Marianne and really wish we had more time. Marianne is very patient with kids and always found ways to make piano fun for our child. When the child has a hard time focusing on playing the piano, she has a lot of different learning options to redirect such as various music theory games including the ones that she made up. She's worked with our child to write songs, sing, play the piano, incorporate silly skits for the twice a year recitals. One year she even let our child do magic trick along with piano performance! She's amazing. mlbarlow2 [at] gmail.com