Hi - I currently hae 2 piano pupils - both boys with aspergers. They both know all their major scales and can both manage about grade 4/5 aural tests. As they find it hard to read music and have no imagination to speak of, I am looking for games/fun activities to do with them during lessons. Thanks

Hi, I have experience of only one aspergers boy and that's in a classroom situation, so I don't know him that well. If they know their scales have you tried getting them to write out an octave in their manuscript book? How about then asking them to compose a four bar piece using the notes from the scale? If they have trouble with the rhythm you could write out a rhythm below for them to use. This might help with note reading. Also I have recently started using the rhythm exercises in the Paul Harris books a little more creatively - the students play the rhythm, but in a key. First of all just the RH, then if they are ready for it / able we add some LH chords / accompaniment of some kind. Of course I think aspergers people don't like getting things wrong, so this approach may need to be very softly softly. This approach is workign wonders with sightreading for a student I've tried it with, I'm very envious of her progress!

Have you also tried just improvisign with them? You play a really simple accompaniment, the black notes work really well and they make something up also on teh black notes. IF they feel overwhelmed by this you can only 'allow' them to use three notes, or even two. Anyway, don't know if this will be of any use, would be interested to hear if anything does work.

My son has Asperger Syndrome and is 9 years old. He plays the piano (Grade 3) and the flute (Grade 2), and is taught by myself. We do a lot of improvisation type of activities, both together and by himself. This could be "call and response" in rhythm and notes, making up different phrases using a set of rhythm, harmonic exploration etc. I also encourage composition - started off with improvisation and then certain ideas become more concrete - I help him write down, too!

Enjoy teaching these "special" pupils !

Interesting ( and very close to home ) topic as my son is currently going through the process of being diagnosed with Aspergers ( it's getting worse as he's getting older , hes 12 now, and he having severe socialising problems at school), however he playes Tuba ( grade 3 ), Recorder (Grade 2) and is learning piano as well as music theory!. Like you said his biggest problem is creativity, it took me and his brass teacher some time to get him to understand the concept of putting "feeling" into music. However his theory is superb as is his scales ( hes VERY quick to learn and understand scales and harmonics).