Unfazed:
Teaching Neurodivergent Students Course
You can stop wasting time on trial and error
and feel CONFIDENT teaching neurodivergent students…
…even if you don’t have previous experience or a Master’s degree in piano pedagogy.
Here’s what Melody has to say about the Unfazed Course:
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FAST ACTING BONUS:
The first 3 new annual members will receive a signed copy of Tim Topham’s new book: No Book Beginners
All new members signing up in February will also
Free studio-licensed sheet music
Three FREE Sheet Music Collections by Forrest Kinney, Kevin Olson & Chris Owenby
Free studio-licensed games collection
FREE games collections from resource creator, Tara Boykin
Milestone Method Book 1 by Selena Pistoresi
This is the first of three milestones preparing your students for note reading.
Does this sound like you?
👉 You’ve been approached to teach a neurodivergent studen, but you have no idea where to start.
👉 You wonder whether you are really “on the right” track with your students.
👉 You waste hours sifting through information and forums to extract the few quality ideas that will make all the difference.
👉 You’re overwhelmed by the seemingly inconsistent information out there on teaching neurodivergent students.
If you’ve scoured the internet for effective teaching strategies
or if you’re wondering whether what you’re already doing is even working…
you are in the right place.
I used to think that my students couldn’t understand me.
I’d show them middle C on the page, then show them middle C on the piano. They might remember for a minute or even for a whole lesson, but they’d seem to forget by the following week.
I spent countless lessons going over finger numbers again and again.
I used flashcards for note identification, but accuracy was at best 50/50.
Some students couldn’t even seem to remember how to identify C on the piano from week to week. I’d ask them to play black keys, but they would play white keys or just bang around randomly.
I was so frustrated with both myself and my students. Are they even listening to me? Do I need to break down each concept even MORE than I already am and drill it endlessly in every lesson?
The problem wasn’t that my students couldn’t learn.
I was going about it all wrong…
It turns out that many of my students had some degree of dyspraxia.
“Dyspraxia” covers a range of disorders that affect one’s ability to plan, process, and perform motor tasks. In other words, people with dyspraxia have trouble getting the body to do what they want, when they want.
Being a disorder of movement, it can affect things like whole body coordination (like walking, jumping, or catching a ball), fine motor movements (like using scissors or playing the piano), and spatial awareness.
Perhaps less obviously, it can also affect speech. After all, speech is ultimately a complex motor function.
BUT… dyspraxia doesn’t affect intelligence. It can cause problems with perception and concentration, and it can cause speech to be jumbled or even impossible for some, but it does not affect intellectual ability.
I realized that I needed to trust that my students could UNDERSTAND what I was telling them (given that it was appropriate for their age and level), even if they couldn’t execute it or demonstrate their understanding quite yet.
I needed to presume competence.
Once I learned to relentlessly presume competence in my students, I could focus on addressing dyspraxia and whatever other physical, emotional, or executive functioning challenges that prevented them from learning piano in “traditional” ways.
I could stop boring them to death with endless repetitions and insulting their intelligence by color-coding everything or talking in a loud baby voice.
I could respect them as intelligent individuals, and they could respect me as someone who “gets” them.
Most importantly, I could figure out concrete and practical ways to get their hands playing the piano.
Imagine how it would feel to…
…I’m here to tell you, ALL of that is possible.
Hi, I’m Selena.
I’m a lifelong pianist, piano teacher since 2008, teacher trainer, studio owner, author of the Milestone Method, and the founder of Notable. I teach piano full-time in the SF Bay Area, California, in my studio of 50+ students, and almost all of them have disabilities or are neurodivergent.
Perhaps like you, I stumbled upon this niche by happy accident. Being a lifelong learner, I was captivated by the challenge of figuring out how to teach this growing population of students who were either puzzled by or largely ignored by modern pedagogy. I was also, at times, completely stumped.
After years of trial and error with countless workshops, courses, forums, methods and Pinterest experiments, I developed a system for effectively teaching neurodivergent students. Since I’m only one person, I felt compelled to share what I know with as many teachers as possible so we can reach the millions of potential students who still haven’t been given the opportunity to learn music.
Why should you start from scratch, when I can pass on proven methods that will make your life easier and fill your studio with smiling students?
It’s my mission to demystify teaching neurodivergent students and save you years of trial and error by giving you all the tools you need, right now.
Introducing Unfazed: Teaching Neurodivergent Students Course
This online course gives you the proven strategies you need to feel confident taking on any neurodivergent student.
Here’s what you’ll get:
Access to the Unfazed online course, video training modules, PDF downloads, curriculum
Lists of sensory-friendly studio and teaching tools, supplemental and “off the bench” activities for both online and in-person lessons
Video examples from real-life piano lessons with neurodivergent students so you can see Selena’s advice in action.
Helpful advice from the course creator, Selena Pistoresi
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Frequently asked questions
I’ve never taught neurodivergent students or students with disabilities before. Is it really difficult?
- Teaching neurodivergent students is no more difficult than teaching “neurotypical” or mainstreamed piano students. It’s just different. It has its own set of challenges, like any teaching does. Once you understand a few key ideas, your mindset will help you interact with students in a productive and successful way. Also, this course provides the exact road map you need, as far as curriculum and supplemental activities.
What if I already teach neurodivergent students? Will I still get something from this course?
- Definitely. We’re all doing the best we can with our students, and you surely have some wonderful ideas already in place. This course will give you a unique perspective and provide an infusion of fresh material for you to use.
Do I have to change everything about my teaching?
- That depends! You’re welcome to implement as much or as little as you’d like with your students. Learning the philosophy behind these methods may help you reframe methods you’ve used in the past, but you’re ultimately in charge of how you teach.
Is this mainly for teachers of autistic students?
- The information in this course applies to students with a huge range of support needs, abilities, and levels. These methods aren’t just for students with dyspraxia. They’re not exclusive to a specific diagnosis like autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, or something else.
