Joining Alexa today is Colin McGee who is trained in Psychoanalytic and Humanistic therapy and Hypnotherapy. Colin McGee works at the National ADHD charity ADDISS as a Psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer, and also has his own personal clinical practice specialising in behaviour management, ADHD, and autism. He’s the perfect guest for this episode where we’re looking at teaching neurodivergent singers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects around 5% of people's behaviour, but only about 1% are diagnosed. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.
• Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school. Most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old, but sometimes it's diagnosed later in childhood.
• You need a trained psychiatrist to diagnose ADHD rather than just your general GP. Getting a diagnosis is more like moving towards a conclusion based on lots of evidence, rather than a test for a binary yes or no answer.
• Being dismissive of the validity of someone’s ADHD is only going to hurt them, it impacts life hugely. People with ADHD aren’t doing things or being forgetful deliberately just because they feel like it, it’s a genuine condition.
• There’s no one size fits all approach to teaching singing to someone with ADHD, it’s a case of working out what works best for them as an individual.
• When you’re in an emotionally flooded state you lose about 30 IQ points and have reduced hearing. As a teacher you need to find ways to reduce this in neurodivergent students, usually breathing exercises help.

BEST MOMENTS

‘ADHD is not deliberate, they’re not late on purpose’

‘People with ADHD are visual kinesthetic learners’

‘When you become emotionally overloaded, that’s where the problems start’

EPISODE RESOURCES

Guest Website:

• addiss.co.uk

Relevant Links & Mentions:

• Dr Russell Barkley - This is How you Treat ADHD Off Science Lecture: com/watch?v=_tpB-B8BXk0
• Georgia & Tommy: Baby Steps Documentary (Series 3; episode 1)

ABOUT THE GUEST

Trained in Psychoanalytic and Humanistic therapy and Hypnotherapy, Colin McGee works at the National ADHD charity ADDISS as a Psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer (Schools and Parents), and also has his own personal clinical practice.

Colin has a background in education and has taught in three countries over many years, teaching in most types of schools from Kindergarten to MA level and as Deputy Head and Headteacher. His specialist areas are behaviour management, ADHD, and, more recently, Autism, particularly as part of a dual diagnosis.

In the early 1990s, Colin started to work with singers from various backgrounds from students to young professionals and established international performers; he has also worked with a number of classical musicians. Colin says: ‘I think that one of my strengths is that I know very little about music or singing and I tend to ask questions that others may overlook.’

ABOUT THE PODCAST

BAST Training is here to help singers gain the knowledge, skills and understanding required to be a great singing teacher. We can help you whether you are getting started or just have some knowledge gaps to fill through our courses and educational events.

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