Special Education Piano

I've taught piano to lots of kids of all descriptions, but children with disabilities are the greatest beneficiaries of piano by number. The reason for this is that many of these kids may not be able to read sheet music. Thus piano by number is their only chance to enjoy playing music on the piano.

The result varies, of course, with the particular disability, and the gravity of the disability is the major factor in how well the child is able to play piano by number. But that's only from our, the adult, point of view. From the child's point of view, piano by number is easy and fun. It's a refreshing victory for many of these kids who have trouble with learning.

But, since each condition limits ability so specifically, we should discuss the result according to each specific condition. Some of these conditions I have had direct experience with; others I refer to using emails and letters of people who have communicated to me the success they've had using piano by number with their special kids.

I want to stress that I'm not a doctor: I'm a piano teacher who was asked by parents of certain special kids, many of them home-schooled, to teach them piano. I observed these kids closely, and would in fact say that it was my experience with them that led me to develop the piano by number books.

Here's a list of the special kids we discuss here:
DOWN'S SYNDROME
TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

DOWN'S SYNDROME
The kids I taught were all enthusiastic, but limited in their apparent perceptions and attention span. They loved the fact that they can play simple songs like Twinkle, Twinkle right away, with little or no confusion. Numbers are that simple. I usually hammer home an easy song like Jingle Bells right away, to give them confidence, coming back again and again until they feel comfortable. All of these kids responded enthusiastically to playing simple songs; there was no child who could not play at least a portion of a song like Jingle Bells, much to their delight. Piano is not just for Paderewski or Billy Joel!

They also enjoyed simple rhythm games, and the art of guessing whether a chord is happy or sad. Regarding rhythm, I had two boys with Down's who were excellent at rhythm. One of them even played drums and various percussion instruments with such deadly accuracy, that I wondered if they could actually be percussionists. They had the most developed sense of rhythm that I've seen in ANY child, normal or special.

The Down's kids were also very good at guessing whether a chord is sad or happy, a task that many normal kids have far more trouble with. My theory for this, and I'm not a doctor, is that Down's kids are very open to the emotion that is so forthright in any chord. They seem able to easily identify the chord's emotional qualities and in doing so seem in touch, for a moment, with their own constantly shifting feelings.

For Down's kids, piano by number is a natural activity. They want so much to learn things, but are so easily defeated by failure. That's why piano by number is so good for them. They win at an activity right away, and somewhere inside they are proud of themselves.

TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
In my experience, Tourette's kids are so brilliant that I can hardly call it a disorder, except for the obvious, but entirely understandable behavior problems. I'll say it again: these kids are brilliant. They have unbelievable intellectual stamina, concentration and attention span. But at a certain point they've had enough of one particular activity, and are exhausted by their own strenuous efforts. They seem to have no idea how to pace themselves, but flame through problems, solving them with alarming ease, and then flop back, exhausted.

For example, one boy, about 12, was so smart that he learned to read sheet music with me in about 15 minutes. Just understood everything I was saying, and did it perfectly! How? His brain seemed wired for music! Piano by numbers was so simple for him that at his first lesson he learned all 12 major chords, a feat that takes top level normal kids months!

Kids, any kids, understand numbers readily. That's why I use numbers to get them started. I'd rather have a child happily playing by number than quit completely in frustration due to conventional methods. I'm not against the conventional methods, I just want kids to have the chance to start a little more slowly. The benefits are enormous.

ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
Most of the ADHD kids I teach are home-schooled, and are a lovely bunch of kids. I expected more distracted kids, but found instead that ADHD kids really wanted to learn, but needed very careful and slow attention to prosper. For example, I'm always saying that a teacher should never express disapproval, a saying originally coined for normal kids. But it goes double for ADHD kids. Keep trying again and again, and these kids will surprise you. They also have great retention, that is, once you teach these children a concept, they have got it down, and they don't forget it. They are so proud of mastering something that they etch it in their brain, one of their trophies!

My impression is that ADHD kids liked the simplicity of numbers, and only really wanted a chance to succeed and excel at something. And numbers is that "something" for a lot of these kids. The most important element for them seemed to be each small victory in understanding things in their own way; if I had to encapsulate my experience, it would be to say, 'Find a way to get them to understand it on their own terms, not yours.

ADHD kids often made the jump to reading sheet music. Many never really got beyond numbers and playing chords. But that is more than most normal kids ever do.

The bottom line for me with kids and disabilities, and piano by numbers, is that it is the only piano or music method which allows these kids to enter the field of play on an even level, and play music that is simple but satisfying. Normal methods are impossibly difficult, physically and mentally. Piano is for everyone, absolutely everyone.

Aside from the musical benefits, piano by number is a fabulous number game for kids of all ages and descriptions. Many is the child that learns or solidifies the relationships between numbers from a piano keyboard: 3 is lower than 4, 2 is higher than 1.

The piano demonstrates these simple mathematical facts to kids of all descriptions better than any device I know.

by John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press
Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com/ to see the fun Piano by Number method for kids.