3 Ways Visual Schedules help Neurodivergent Piano Students (More Focus, Fewer Meltdowns!)

For a student with autism, a music lesson can be a sensory whirlwind. Between the vibration of the strings, the resonance of a piano, and the complex social cues of a teacher, there is a lot to process. When the lesson structure is a mystery, the brain stays in "survival mode"—always bracing for what might happen next. This engages their 'flight or fight' mode to keep them trapped in that cycle of bracing for the unknown. But when we introduce a rock-solid routine, something magical happens: The anxiety fades, the "fight or flight" response shuts off, and the student finally has the mental space to actually hear the music.

I've been using a music routine in lessons with young learners, students with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and students of all ages, levels and abilities for over 13 years. A visual routine can have a tremendously positive impact on many aspects of the lesson- for both teacher and student!

Curious how you can use a visual schedule (or why you should)? I'm sharing practical ideas for how you can use a visual schedule or routine in your music lessons and classes, and 3 of the ways it might benefit your piano students. (And you'll get a preview of our brand new Interactive Printable Visual Lesson and Practice Routine Chart, designed by Tara Mock!)

Cognitive Load and Decision Fatigue

When your students arrive for lessons- especially if their lesson is after school, then your student has already made dozens of decisions throughout their day. Filtering through communications, dealing with sensory stimuli overload in their school environments, switching their brain back and forth between activities of their day.

For students with autism, ADHD, other learning disabilities or any neurodivergent learner, this can lead to decision fatigue and a heavy cognitive load; essentially, exhaustion from trying to survive their environment.

When we give students a visual schedule or list of all the lesson activities, it allows their brain to move out of survival mode and the fear of what comes next into focusing on music- putting that energy into learning and creating.

Emotional Regulation

Students of all ages and abilities struggle with regulating their emotions and responses in learning environments, but this particularly applies to young learners age 4-6 and students with autism, ADHD or other learning needs. Emotional Dysregulation can lead to meltdowns, anxiety at the unknown, and students struggling to communicate their questions, frustrations, or needs. When we provide students with an element of predictability, even an improvisational and creative atmosphere like a music lesson can become a wonderful experience where students can thrive!

Building Autonomy

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching young students or neurodivergent learners is balancing our students' needs for coaching and guidance, and helping them develop independence. Since our neurodivergent music students may struggle with verbal communication, this can be especially challenging during the learning process.

When students are overwhelmed or their brains are working to understand their learning environment, they may struggle to verbalize their needs, questions, or even preferences. Having a visual schedule or routine can not only alleviate the mental stress for students working hard to communicate and learn, but gives them invaluable boosts to their confidence and independence by giving them tools to play an active part in the lesson routine!

How I use the Visual Music Schedule

Another benefit of using a visual schedule? It's your lesson plan! This works for a group class or individual lesson. First, I select the elements I want to do during the lesson:

-new music

-review music

-rhythm activity

-ear training game

-coloring page

-time for student questions

...you get the idea! With the new visual schedule Tara made, it includes blank spaces for you to customize each lesson element to be as specific as you want with song/music titles, etc.

Next, I place the lesson plan blocks on the "Choose From" page for the student and have it ready for them when they walk into my studio, and the students arrive excited and ready to choose the order for our activities/lesson. Even though this is something we do each week, they're equally excited to exercise their autonomy at each lesson to select the order for the lesson plan- it's so fun to see their excitement!

As we go through the lesson, students can use an erasable marker to cross off each activity (I laminated all my squares for durability and add adhesive velcro dots) or remove them from the visual schedule.

Bonus: This teaching tool also a great way to help students learn the concepts of time and choice. They learn to judge 'how many more minutes' by how many activities remaining, and helps eliminate student meltdowns or shutdowns from doing certain aspects in the lesson- and I always use a variation of, "Let's see what you chose next for us" as we transition.

Extra bonus: If you laminate the visual schedule and add adhesive velcro dots to each square, it doubles as a tactile and kinesthetic experience for students as they add or remove the squares! In addition, it can help students work on their fine motor-skills and hand coordination as they place the square on their visual schedule. An extra-extra bonus is that when students check off or remove squares after each activity, it serves as a natural transition between activities, allowing students time to mentally switch between tasks. How cool is that?

If you do a lot of laminating, cutting flashcards and assembling them like we do, you might find our Amazon list helpful- it has all of our most-used and favorite tools that make this efficient and easy!

Creating visuals from scratch takes time you don't always have. To help you get started with using a visual routine, you can grab Tara's from our new online shop (don't forget to check out all the freebies!) so you can get it printed and assembled before your next lesson!

Implementing routines is a journey, and it’s okay to need a little lead sheet to follow. If you’re looking for personalized strategies to help your neurodivergent students thrive, both Tara and I offer 1:1 consultations specifically designed to equip teachers with strategies that will serve their unique students well. Reach out here to see how we can work together to unlock your students' full potential. Working with teachers is truly one of my favorite parts of teaching, and it's such a privilege to work together!

Do you have any lesson routines or lesson elements you include with each lesson? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below! 👇

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