Andrew Eales

ADHD and piano competitions

ADHD • Insights for Pianists
Andrew Eales with Louise Eales RMN, NMP

Continuing our series exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by pianists with ADHD, this article unpacks the issues hat we can face when taking part in competitive piano events, ranging from local festivals and school competitions to major international competitions.

The article arose from our many conversations about the topic of how ADHD has impacted my own piano journey. Louise and I hope to foster understanding, encourage players who feel confused by their reactions to competition, and promote discussion about how the broader music community might create a healthier, more inclusive performance culture.

For an in-depth introduction to ADHD, outlining what it is, how it is diagnosed and treated, and how it impacts piano players more generally please refer to our article ADHD • A Pianist’s Guide.

Paul Harris: Play with Rhythm!

Educational Resources
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

While Pianodao has featured several books and series by my friend Paul Harris (you can explore my other reviews here), I can only scratch the surface of the more than 500 publications already to his name.

Harris’s latest looks set to become another classic, a standout publication that superbly fills a gap many of us didn’t quite realise existed.

Play with Rhythm! is billed as “a workbook for developing a sense of pulse, rhythm, and counting”, suitable for musicians of any instrument or genre, and can be used in individual or group lessons, or on your own at home. According to the publishers Faber Music,

“Suitable for players of Grade 2 (Elementary) level upwards, this practical workbook takes students step by step through a series of simple activities that will develop a real understanding of rhythm and awareness of pulse.”

Having perused a draft some months ago, and now the finished product, I think that this winning publication will quickly establish itself as an essential resource, so let’s take a closer look.

Music & Neurodiversity

The Pianodao Bookshelf
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

A few years ago I heard Karen Marshall give a presentation on teaching students with dyslexia at a teacher conference, and was so impressed by her insight that I suggested she might consider writing a book to share her expertise more widely.

Whether my words served to plant a seed or water an existing one, I am thrilled to see that the idea has at last germinated into a fully-fledged handbook. Music & Neurodiversity, recently published by Collins Music, is a 144-page “practical guide for teachers and parents”, and is in my view an essential read.

Though modest in appearance, the book is a densely packed publication that punches well above its weight, so in this review I am going to unpack the contents and hopefully explain what makes it a special publication.

The Easiest Gillock Pieces

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

When I compiled the Graded Gillock series for The Willis Music Company, a decision was made early on to focus on three books covering Grades 1-6, two grades per selection. You can read about those collections here, which have already become popular with teachers and students alike.

William Gillock (1917-1993) also composed a wealth of music for beginners, so it is a special joy to welcome a new collection from Willis Music. The Easiest Gillock Pieces brings together a careful selection of 31 of his pieces for pre-Grade 1 players.

This new collection complements the Graded Gillock series by covering the earlier stages of learning and opening up the prospect of players discovering the composer’s beginner music.

Better still, it includes brand new duet parts: optional accompaniments which have been newly composed by Gillock’s famous protégé Glenda Austin, whose own music I have reviewed here. So is this now an indispensable book for younger beginners?

Pianoworks • Meditations

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Janet and Alan Bullard’s Pianoworks series of older beginner books have long been a staple within my teaching studio. The two method books provide a solid introduction to musical understanding, piano technique and creative musicianship, while the supplementary repertoire collections are among the most popular I have ever used, whether alongside the method or independently.

It’s been a while since the series expanded, but the Bullards are back with a new collection, sporting a fresh new look which I am told will be adopted by the whole series as each title goes to reprint. According to the publishers,

“Pianoworks Meditations is a brilliant collection of gentle and reflective pieces for the older beginner. Written with a focus on playing for enjoyment, these 24 original pieces guide the player through a range of styles, while aiding in relaxation and mindfulness.”

Having played through the collection I am happy to confirm that they are as beautifully crafted as the original music which the Bullards previously sprinkled throughout the Pianoworks series, but let’s take a closer look…

Adaptive Teaching and Metacognition

The Pianodao Guest Book
Interviews • Opinions • Guest Posts

I’m happy to welcome back KAREN MARSHALL with a new piece for Pianodao’s ADHD Insights series. Karen’s writing again reflects our shared focus on inclusive, practical, and thoughtful piano teaching…

Supporting neurodivergent pianists

Adaptive teaching has become an established principle across education in recent years and is widely recognised as an effective way of supporting neurodivergent learners. Rather than creating entirely separate lesson plans for pupils with additional needs, the aim of adaptive teaching is to adjust in the moment, or plan ahead so that every child can access a rich, rewarding curriculum.

But let’s be honest: as instrumental teachers, we’ve been doing this since the year dot! One of the great strengths of one-to-one music teaching is that we already provide every student with a bespoke learning experience.

Having spent years bridging the gap between classroom experiences and my private piano teaching, I often ask myself: how do we take these academic ideas and make them truly work in an instrumental lesson?

Dora Pejačević • Early Pieces

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

The Schott Student Edition series continues to expand, offering outstanding new collections of pedagogy classics and rediscovered gems. I have reviewed several previous titles here, and was delighted to recently receive a superb addition to the set: Dora Pejačević: Early Piano Pieces.

By happy synchronicity, I was teaching at The Thinking Pianist course just a few days after the Schott Music volume landed in my postbox, and during the week my faculty colleague and friend Ivana Gavrić gave an illuminating lecture recital introducing Dora Pejačević.

Having commercially recorded and performed the music of her famous compatriot, Ivana has a natural affinity with Pejačević’s music, promoting it with sensitivity, balanced enthusiasm, and retelling the story of this formidable Croatian cultural icon. Having packed Dora Pejačević’s Early Piano Pieces for the trip, we were able to discuss this new volume, and I am indebted to Ivana for her insights.

Meanwhile, introducing the Schott Music book, its editor Monika Twelsiek (who has previously brought us many outstanding publications in the Schott catalogue) tells us,

“Dora Pejačević (1885-1923) is a star in Croatia: streets, schools and cafés are named after her, there is a perfume and a sparkling wine bearing her name, and a statue named ‘Dora’ is awarded at the Croatian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Outside Croatia, however, the composer only became known late. After having been forgotten for many years, her works did not reach the public until the 1980s…
Who is this woman?“

Arise and Shine

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Back in 2023 I reviewed two collections of Piano Music of Black Composers compiled by the American performer, scholar, and educator Leah Claiborne for Hal Leonard’s Expanding the Repertoire series.

The two books offered a varied and engaging, if in hindsight slightly inconsistent, potpourri of little-known music by Black composers, and at the time I concluded,

“It’s a great pity that this fabulous pedagogic repertoire hasn’t been a standard feature of our piano education culture, and Leah Claiborne has done us a superb service in providing these slender volumes. We must hope more will follow.”

More has indeed followed, and I was delighted to receive Claiborne’s latest anthology, Arise and Shine, which offers 28 piano solos by Black composers suitable for intermediate to early advanced players (I would estimate UK Grades 2-8).