Andrew Eales - ADHD and The Piano

Pianist, teacher, and writer Andrew Eales has spent many years reflecting on the ways ADHD affects music learning. In his guide ADHD • A Pianist’s Guide, written with clinical psychologist Louise S. Eales, he offers a rare combination of professional insight and personal experience. For teachers, parents, and pianists themselves, his work explains both the challenges and the opportunities that ADHD brings to the piano.

Piano Practice and ADHD

According to Eales, the practice room is often where difficulties first appear. Learners with ADHD may genuinely intend to practise, but struggle to manage their time. They may sit at the instrument only to get distracted within minutes, walk away mid-session, or abandon a piece before it is complete. Sheet music can be misplaced, fingering ignored, or practice tasks left half-done.

Eales explains that these behaviours are not laziness or lack of commitment, but reflect the way ADHD disrupts executive functions such as planning, organising, and sustaining attention. He suggests that teachers should view these obstacles through that lens, understanding that the barriers are neurological rather than motivational.

Lessons in Focus

In piano lessons, the same patterns continue. Eales notes that students with ADHD often arrive late or without the right books. They may chat, switch topics quickly, or forget what was explained only moments before. Longer or complex instructions are particularly prone to being lost.

Teachers, Eales says, should expect attention to fluctuate. Students may zone out if a task feels boring or overwhelming, then re-engage suddenly with great energy. For the teacher, patience and flexibility are not optional extras but central skills.

Performance Under Pressure

Preparing for recitals or exams can be especially challenging. Eales describes how reaching a secure performance standard takes longer, with rehearsals or run-throughs often skipped. In live situations, background noises or small changes to a venue can cause significant distraction. Anxiety is common both before and during a performance, and afterwards the focus may fall on mistakes rather than successes.

Yet Eales emphasises that this isn’t the whole picture. ADHD can also produce positive surges of hyperfocus, where practice or performance suddenly becomes deeply immersive and productive. Pianists may also bring unusual creativity and originality, producing interpretations that are fresh and individual.

Practical Teaching Strategies

What can teachers do? Eales sets out a series of practical approaches.

  • Start lessons positively. Build rapport and encourage from the first moment.
  • Keep instructions short and precise. Ask the student to repeat them back to confirm understanding.
  • Break tasks down. Small, manageable steps are more effective than long, abstract goals.
  • Use visual aids. Practice charts, logs, or worksheets provide structure outside lessons.
  • Support memory. Mnemonics and written reminders are often more reliable than expecting recall alone.
  • Redirect attention. If a student drifts, switch activities or add a brief physical break.
  • Balance structure with choice. Method books and exam syllabuses can anchor progress, but learners should also choose repertoire that inspires them.

Eales also advises teachers to inform examiners when a candidate is neurodiverse, so allowances can be made for differences in focus or behaviour. He discourages over-reliance on memorisation, suggesting that flexibility in learning styles is more inclusive.

Creativity, Not Just Challenge

Perhaps the most important message in Eales’ writing is that ADHD is not only a source of difficulty. When supported well, pianists with ADHD can show remarkable creativity, intense focus, and strong individuality. The same traits that disrupt routine practice can, under the right conditions, fuel originality and expressive freedom.

Eales’ own story illustrates this balance. While he has found classical performance difficult to sustain, he continues to play and share music in ways that suit his strengths. His teaching approach reflects an acceptance that ADHD changes the way pianists learn, but also that it can enrich their musicianship.

Conclusion

ADHD • A Pianist’s Guide offers both realism and hope. It does not gloss over the frustrations: missed lessons, incomplete practice, performance anxiety, and disorganisation are real. But it also points to solutions—shorter instructions, structured practice aids, flexible lesson design—and celebrates the creativity that ADHD can release at the piano.

For teachers, the message is clear. Success with ADHD learners is not about trying to eliminate their differences, but about understanding them. By adjusting expectations and methods, teachers can help students navigate their challenges while unlocking the unique artistry they bring to music.

Links

You can follow Andrew on his Pianodao website, follow him on facebook and join the Piano Network UK Facebook page that Andrew is the admin of.