I've just taken on a new keyboard pupil at one of my peri schools, who's only Y2 and already known to be "the naughtiest boy in the school." I already know him a bit as I'm also the pianist in his school one day a week. He spends most of his school time in the corridor or in the headteachers office as he's too disruptive in lessons, I would say he has ADHD. He's had 3 lessons so far with another boy, and he just cannot keep his hands to himself especially when it's the other boy's turn to play. Yesterday I gave him a warning about this which he did not heed so I then sent him out but just for 2 mins, I don't want to do this too often as his mum is paying for the lessons, he is keen to learn and I want to give him a chance. One option might be to teach him on his own. any ideas?

From a parent's perspective.....my son can be like this (he hasn't got ADHD - he appears to have it, until anyone professional does an assessment on him, and then miraculously he comes out as "normal" every time. But he has Tourettes and ASD so I guess there is some overlap).

He is much better at taking his turn if he can fiddle or squeeze on something whilst he is waiting - I have an assortment of those rubbery "stress balls" (mostly freebies from conferences). Also he can be quiet while drawing, and loves manuscript paper - could you give your pupil a piece of paper and a pencil and ask him to doodle some music for you while the other pupil is playing? Chris likes re-designing the treble clef....

He is also very motivated by stickers for good behaviour, but unlike his classmates he hates having them stuck on him, so he has a sticker booklet which he carries around with him - each time he gets to 10 he gets to choose a little treat (and not always sweets, sometimes he chooses to have a pack of Dr Who collectors cards, or to have a bath with tons of bubble bath, or 10 minutes later bedtime than normal) - maybe you will have to collaborate with his parents on those

Good luck I hope the pupil he shares with is understanding / tolerant as this can make a big difference too.

I found this extremely interesting and potentially helpful. I have one pupil who has Tourettes (at the low end of the spectrum as far as I know). He's a lovely lad, polite and smart, but clearly finds it difficult to stay either still or quiet for any length of time. I'm never sure exactly what to do with him or how to help him, so I'll bear these in mind. At the moment he's doing quite well since a slightly younger girl that he knows has also started lessons with me, and she's caught up with him quite quickly. This is spurring him on...

I spend four hours or so a week helping to teach a first year english class. One of the pupils is extremely disruptive, appears not to be able to concentrate and won't work without constant reminding. Well, that's when he's left to his own devices. I've now taken to working with him individually in a number of subjects (including music) and he is one of the most dedicated and motivated kids in that year group.

For that reason, I think teaching him on his own might be a good idea. Obviously, I'm not a qualified teacher, and I'm certainly not any sort of expert (or even mildly knowledgeable) about behavioural issues, but I certainly think it would be worth a go.

Do you know he has a disorder? He may just be badly behaved..

His mum might be paying for lessons, but so are the parents of the child who is being disrupted, which isn't fair.

If you can teach him alone that's probably the best option - good luck!



I think that may be too big a burden to place on the other pupil.

This boy has been labelled as difficult by the teachers/professionals. Perhaps music lessons can be a time and space where he can have a different and positive experience. Keeping him interested will be a challenge but could end up being very rewarding for both of you. I would suggest that you have lots of different activities ready so that you can change tack frequently and respond to what he likes /dislikes. I have a similar pupil who drives me batty at times, but can also be very rewarding as he is tremendously enthusiastic about things that he likes (eg using percussion instruments to play rhythms). It does sounds as though you need to teach him one to one for everyone's sake..

Could he conduct when his classmate is playing? It would give him something to do that helps rhythm - he'd be moving which helps and he would have a boost to self-esteem which would counteract all the negatives he gets when misbehaving.

I think that you are going to have to ask for individual lessons for this little lad. If he has your undivided attention he may well not find a need to mess about in his lessons. Perhaps you could get him to sit down calmly for a couple of minutes at the start of each lesson and spend some time just chatting with him? I always find that this helps greatly in many ways. I wonder if anyone has actually sat down with him and explained to him how he should behave during lessons. I know that this may sound silly but some kids really have never thought about the right and the wrong way to conduct themselves. It is one thing to tell them to do as the teacher says, and quite another to talk to them about what is good and what they should not do. Praise him when he gets things right and don't dwell too much on hid "bad" behaviour. In my experience badly behaved kids often need one to one attention and to be encouraged when they do well. It can be just like training dogs. Get them to do one thing correctly and receive praise and they will start to do other things correctly too. Good luck with this boy. I hope that he turns out to be a very rewarding pupil.

I used to teach in an International School abroad, firstly going in to teach piano after school then later working there as class music teacher. I found out when I started the class teaching that one of my piano students was regarded as "the naughtiest boy in the school". The thing is, I'd never had any problems with him in our piano lessons and had always found him to be respectful and easy to work with, although he wasn't especially musical. It was quite clear that in a class situation, he was a nightmare for all the teachers, but in a one-to-one situation he was completely different. I hope that my story encourages you to persever with your naughty boy!

I definitely agree with sitting down and talking one on one with the naughty boy. Go over the rules in how to conduct yourself in any classroom setting in front of both boys....so that one boy doesn't feel focused on. What I've always thought of but have not yet done is having taught a segment (10 min at a time) on 'Respect in the classroom'. I realize it's parents' money, but this is just as valuable as the other material. Discuss role playing, how to be helpful to your fellow classmate, when to talk and play without interrupting, forgive and forget, look for the good qualities in your fellow classmates.....etc. This may sound elementary, but emphasizing these issues brings out good character in kids....as well as teachers! Hope this helps.