Hi,
I'm looking for some input please in a situation with a young student. I've been teaching this boy now for just over a year. He has multiple issues including dyspraxia, eyesight problems and hearing difficulties. Now I can add hypermobility of the fingers to the list.
I only found out when pursuing a long-running campaign I have of getting him to switch to from the black notes to the white notes. He has terrible trouble maintaining fingers at the piano, without them flying all over the place, while he's paying attention to some other note, or perhaps looking at the music. I asked him to curl his fingers more (needed for white notes) and asked if it hurt. Generally, they say, no, and I say "Well, do it then!". I was somewhat taken aback when he said 'yes', and his mother piped up from the corner that he has finger pain due to hypermobility, if the fingers need to curl.
I have asked the mother for more detail, which she can't give me just now, but she will find out. In the meantime, if anyone has experience of hypermobility at the piano, what helps and what doesn't, I'd be glad to know.