Adaptive Lessons at The Music Studio Atlanta: What to Expect

What does an adaptive lesson look like?

There is a tapping sound on my office window, and I look up as my student enters.

“Hello, Mr. Zeke!” I say to my 13-year-old piano student.¹

“Hello, Mr. Caroline!” he returns brightly (my students call me “Miss Caroline,” so this makes me laugh).

We walk into the session room and catch up while he acclimates to the space. As he paces the room and picks up different instruments and fidget toys, we talk about his field trip today and his upcoming soccer season. 

After a minute or two of this, we talk about the goals for today’s lesson. Goal number one is to play the piano warm-up using two hands at the same time (a skill we’ve been working up to for several months), and goal number 2 is to practice his piece for the recital. He asks if we can have a break in between the goals, so I write that in too.‍

Okay, cool! So what made it adaptive?

Here’s what I modified within the lesson to fit this student's needs:

1. Those first two minutes of acclimation to the space are there to help my student transition to a new room and regulate before sitting down to learn. 
2. Writing a schedule on the board is something most students benefit from, but it especially helps neurodivergent folks. In some cases, a visual schedule is preferable.²
3. The piece he’s learning for the recital has the notes written on the sheet music. We’ve also got note name stickers on the keyboard to help him follow along. For some students, the attention to task required to follow along with sheet music is a more important skill than learning to read notes right away.
4. The break is so important!! Sensory breaks are a great way to accommodate students with autism.³ 

I hope this walk-through gives you a better idea of what an adaptive lesson might look like for you or your child. But here’s the thing about adaptive lessons: they never look the same.

Tell me more, tell me more.

Here are a few more examples (based on past experiences) of what an adapted music lesson could look like and who it might benefit:

• A child with ADHD is more motivated by composing her own music. We use an online platform to create sheet music of her pieces and cover topics like time signature and note durations in the process.
• An adult student with anxiety and depression wants to play an instrument for focus and as a coping skill. We create an organized method of learning music that works for her and verbally process lyrics and music after learning a new song.
• A student with autism is learning to differentiate between “right” and “left,” so I give him a red sticker for the right hand and a green sticker for the left hand. The right- and left-hand notes are marked accordingly on the sheet music.
• A non-speaking child prefers multiple instruments, so I set up several instruments around the room so that she can walk towards what she wants to play that day.

There is so much research on the benefits of music and arts for individuals with special needs.⁴ My education and training as a music therapist⁵ means I have a working knowledge of psychology, music, and diverse learning needs. My collaborative approach means I want to hear from you and/or your child on how to support your musical aspirations. I am so excited to begin this program with everyone at The Music Studio Atlanta!

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¹ This a made-up lesson based on real experiences. I just like the name Zeke.

² Mott, M. Rodwell, D. 2023. “Neurodiversity-Affirming Handbook: A handbook for parents, teachers and community allies.” AdaptED 4 Special Ed., Inc. p. 4

³ Mott, M. Rodwell, D. 2023. “Neurodiversity-Affirming Handbook: A handbook for parents, teachers and community allies.” AdaptED 4 Special Ed., Inc. p. 4

⁴ Mino- Roy, Jordan et al. “Effects of music, dance and drama therapies for people with an intellectual disability: A scoping review.” British Journal of Learning Disabilities, Volume 50, Issue 3. July 2021, pp.385 - 401. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12402

⁵ “What You Need to Be a Music Therapist.” American Music Therapy Association, 2023. https://www.musictherapy.org/about/requirements/

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