Guest Blog by: Judy Richardson-Mahre, MA, ADHD-CCSP
ADHD Expert & Coach Parent Coach Educator
My husband and I traveled last week with friends to Colorado to see one of our favorite groups –The Piano Guys. They were playing at Red Rock Amphitheatre. It was amazing! The venue was breathtaking and of course The Piano Guys did not disappoint.
I am a pianist and have been since I could sit up! My parents have a picture of me swinging from the piano as a young toddler, barely able to walk and that was a sign of things to come. I’ve loved the piano for as long as I can remember.
I started taking piano lessons in 2nd grade and I practiced for hours a day. I loved it that much. My mother was a piano teacher so she loved that I practiced so much and of course my actual piano teacher loved it too. But as the youngest of 5 kids, my siblings, not so much!
I had a special piece that my teacher picked out for me to play at the MN Music Teachers Association annual contest called “My Dog Barks.” I can still play it from memory today and my siblings still give me crap about it!
Steven Sharp Nelson is the Cellist part of The Piano Guys Duo – Piano and Cello. At the concert, Steven talked about the fact that he was diagnosed with ADHD at a fairly young age. He talked about how he often felt as though he didn’t fit in or didn’t “get it.” He struggled with friendships and other things that seemed easy for his peers. With the help and support of his parents, he found an outlet for the inner workings of his brain’s creativity in the cello. He talked about one piece where the cello part was “kind of boring” and in his mind he imagined 7 additional parts to go along with it. The video of his recreation of that is incredible!
What I loved about Steven’s message was that yes, there are many struggles having ADHD. But the thing he wants people to know is that there are so many strengths and “superpowers” associated with ADHD as well. He found his and with the support of his parents, he is living a dream using his Superpowers not only to make a living for himself but spreading joy and creativity through music all over the world! You can see an excerpt of his Keynote Address at the 2023 ADHD Global Conference here.
I think it’s exceptionally important that we understand the ADHD brain, understand how it works, what its struggles are and then provide tools to deal with those struggles so that the Superpowers of each individual’s ADHD brain can shine through. If we do that, the possibilities are literally endless! Look at Steven Sharp Nelson.
To learn more about ADHD I’m partnering with Kathy Flaminio from movemindfully along with other mental health resources to provide a 1 day intensive education on ADHD. Visit my website here for more information.
Hope to see you there!
Judy Richardson-Mahre, MA, ADHD-CCSP
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
ADHD Expert & Coach Parent Coach Educator
612.930.3903