Many neurodivergent individuals who struggle in traditional music lessons can succeed with a little extra support and strategic planning. These students may benefit from being taught by a music therapist.

Music Therapy Services of West Music has provided these “adaptive music lessons” since the early days of the department. Over 75 students have learned basic techniques for playing piano, guitar, drums, or singing while working with a music therapy student from the University of Iowa or with one of West Music’s staff music therapists.

Recently, there has a been a desire for more inclusive lesson spaces where non-traditional students can learn from traditional music educators. West Music has responded by creating a system in which students begin with therapist-led lessons as a way to learn the basic structure of a music lesson and to build attention skills needed to succeed in traditional lessons. They also learn basic techniques and music theory. When a student has reached a skill level that allows them to progress without the support of a music therapist, they can “graduate” into traditional lessons.

At West Music, inclusive lesson teachers are supported through collaboration with the music therapy team. The music therapists provide resources and recommendations to adapt for the student’s abilities and learning styles and ultimately facilitate a successful experience. Music therapists at West Music have also hosted workshops designed to support teachers and have assisted in preparing several resources to encourage music educators when working with neurodivergent students.

Piano teacher Christina began teaching a neurodivergent young adult a couple of years ago. As she began lessons with him, she invited a music therapist to observe to provide tips and feedback. The therapist recommended some resources to help the student visualize what was being said and provided some basic tips about processing time and effective verbal instructions. Christina is still teaching this student today and says, “Things have been going pretty well! We've fallen into more of a routine which is good.  He really enjoys working on songs he knows. We also use videos (like boomwhacker play throughs) which have helped teach him timing and add some variety to our lessons. It's fun seeing his improvement from week to week and how something will be challenging and through practice and repetition we see results the next week.” Christina is one example of how any studio can become an inclusive lesson space with a few adaptations, and if needed, some collaboration with music therapists!

The vision for the future is that an increasing number of traditional music teachers would feel empowered to take on students with diverse learning needs, and an increasing number of neurodivergent students would be able to graduate from therapist-led lessons to lessons with a traditional music teacher, creating more inclusive lesson studios!