Tips for Teaching Instrumental Music to Autistic People

Yes, autistic people can and do play instruments in bands and ensembles!

Music is an area of special interest for many autistic people, and music therapy is a popular intervention for autistic children and adults. Strangely though, very few music instructors have any training or experience in working with autistic people.

As a result, while autistic children are encouraged to interact with music, it can be difficult to find an instructor willing and able to actually teach them to play or sing. It can be even harder to find an instructor for an autistic teen or adult.

This article explores the benefits of music instruction for autistic people, along with tips to help boost their success in playing music.

Young man outside surrounded by band equipment holding a clarinet
Summer Clarinet

Autism and Benefits of Music

The benefits of musical instruction are, of course, many. Not only does musical instruction build cognitive and physical abilities but it’s also a wonderful source of personal pleasure. Singing or playing in a musical ensemble can:

It’s clear that musical instruction may be well worth pursuing. My son Tom has taken clarinet and bassoon lessons, and he took piano for four years. All of his instructors have been in the same boat: none had ever worked with an autistic person.

Over time, with patience on everyone's part and creativity on the part of his instructors, Tom progressed from stuffing toys into the bell of the clarinet and playing “Hot Cross Buns” on the piano to taking part in advanced jazz band, symphony band, and summer band camp.

Tips for Teaching Music to Autistic People

How did Tom’s teachers succeed? Like all good teachers, they used a combination of different teaching tools, a lot of patience, a sense of humor, and a good deal of flexibility. In addition, these techniques were particularly effective:

  1. A mix of multisensory teaching techniques seems to work well. Tapping rhythms, clapping rhythms, using visual aids to teach note values, even moving around the room to "dance" quarter, half and eight note values can help.
  2. Autistic kids often have perfect pitch. It’s worth checking to see if your child has the ability to name a note without an aural (hearing) reference point. Many autistic kids can also play by ear. Tom’s teachers built on his ability to play by ear, having him repeat musical phrases without worrying about which note he was playing.
  3. Associating note names with sounds can be a better first step than associating note names with symbols on the page. Once the learner knows the notes and their names, they can progress to reading notation more fluently.
  4. Visual aids such as flashcards can help a great deal in teaching notation.
  5. Choosing pieces based on existing interest is a great way to go. Our son loves anything he already has heard in the film Fantasia, or even in the children's cartoon series "Little Einsteins."

It’s important for teachers to know that autistic kids, even those with few or no words, may have significant talent and little or no stage fright. Teachers should seriously consider preparing autistic students for recitals, practicing not only the music but also the process of reading the program, coming up on stage, playing a piece, and then leaving the stage.

Some autistic people have synesthesia, an ability to associate musical notes with colors, shapes, etc. Ask your students what colors or shapes they see in their minds when hearing certain notes. For example, Tom sees notes as the colors in the rainbow spectrum (ROY G BIV), so that C=Red, D=Orange, and so on.

Preparing an Autistic Person for an Ensemble Concert

If you are hoping to include your autistic child in a music ensemble, preparation is very important. Ensemble-based music making is predictable and repetitive, making it a good way for autistic people to work with other people without the stress of novel interactions.

On the other hand, ensembles do require musical competence and an ability to remain quiet when others are singing or playing. In addition, school bands and orchestras are large and loud, and stage lights are bright; all of these sensory issues can be a concern.

Here are a few tips for preparing an autistic musician for a group performance:

  1. Autistic people may have a hard time following spoken direction (“OK, let’s turn to page 54 and start at measure 6”). A band leader, helper, support person, or peer buddy can sit next to the student to help them find the right spot on the page. Depending upon their needs, an aide or buddy may also assist with finding the right seat and moving on/off a stage.
  2. Be sure your student understands when and how long to rest between phrases. If it’s helpful, tape the band and have the student practice their part with the tape.
  3. Practice the entire experience of coming on stage, playing, and leaving the stage. If there will be a need to move music stands or other equipment, be sure that experience is part of the practice. If bright lights will be on, include the lights as part of the practice experience.
  4. Be aware of the autistic child’s placement in the band. Some autistic people are sensitive to sound, and seating an autistic child next to the timpani can be a bad choice!
  5. Everyone needs practice, but autistic people should also receive additional instruction as needed so that music is learned accurately. It can be tough for an autistic person to "unlearn" misread musical information.

While it is possible that autism will stand in the way of musical ability, it is equally likely that autism will improve musical ability. The problems faced by an autistic person typically relate not to the production of music, but to the ability to read and understand notation and to manage the sensory issues connected with ensemble playing.

Autistic people may also take a longer time to learn the basics (notation, dynamics, note value). Often, though, the rewards are well worth the patience, hard work, and dedication.

Lisa Jo Rudy

By Lisa Jo Rudy
Lisa Jo Rudy, MDiv, is a writer, advocate, author, and consultant specializing in the field of autism.