Kelsey Maes Music

Works

Original Compositions

Interruptions: variations on a wandering mind

for unaccompanied oboe © 2026

About Interruptions and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Theme

Research

The theme represents how ADHD presents externally to those around an individual with ADHD. Females often mask or hide their deficits to blend more seamlessly into social situations, which may be why many females tend to be misdiagnosed with other disorders before they are diagnosed with ADHD as adults. This masking is noted more frequently in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) literature,1 but is still relevant regarding ADHD due to the high comorbidity rates between ASD and ADHD.2

Music

The theme is bubbly, joyous, and quirky. The interspersed mordents and offset articulation patterns can represent one or both of the following:

  • anxiety surrounding the need to “mask” or hide ADHD in an effort to appear neurotypical
  • hyperactivity, whether it’s primarily inattentive (internal hyperactivity) peeking through to others, hyperactive/impulsive (external hyperactivity), or a combination of both

The mordents and offset articulation patterns may signal to those surrounding the ADHD individual that there is something “off” about them.

Var I. Fatigue

Research

Though more research needs to be conducted on ADHD and “a cluster of symptoms comprised of lethargy, underactivity, apathy, daydreaming, slow thinking, excessive sleep, and being easily lost in thoughts,”3 this cluster of symptoms – particularly lethargy, underactivity, and excessive sleep – is documented more extensively on assessing “sleep quality, the prevalence of co-occurring sleep disorder, and the impact of psychiatric comorbidities on sleep.”4

Music

This variation quotes Wiegenlied (“Lullaby” or “Cradle Song”), Op. 49, No. 4 by Johannes Brahms, mostly in inversion and with alterations to the rhythmic patterns. It begins in G minor, with staccatos on most eighth notes, then gradually slips to G Phrygian (flat scale degree 3). The staccatos signify “fighting” fatigue to stay awake and attempt to focus, but that “fight” fades with the staccatos disappearing. The key slipping to G Phrygian represents slowly succumbing to the fatigue with eyes struggling to remain open, ending on an A flat to fully succumb to fatigue.

Var II. Anxiety

Research

Another issue presented in research when addressing late diagnoses or lack of diagnoses in females is internalized comorbidities, like anxiety and depression.5 Furthermore, undiagnosed ADHD in females tends to present with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, with one review noting, “Increased expectations placed on women and mothers may result in increased impairment and anxiety in women with ADHD. Low self-esteem in combination with these demands may result in dysfunctional beliefs such as perceived failure, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy.”6 Failure, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy create an environment where anxiety can thrive. More females being diagnosed with ADHD are opening up about it on social media and sharing that as soon as they started taking stimulant medication, their anxiety symptoms improved significantly or disappeared entirely.

Music

This variation induces anxiety in both the performer and the audience, with a lot of sudden dynamic changes, sudden ascent and descent in scalar and chromatic motion, irregular phrases, irregular appearances of smaller groupings between rests, and an overall “panicked” feel in G major. The multiphonics further contribute to inducing anxiety. Unlike the stable, focused tone typically associated with the oboe, multiphonics produce complex and unstable sonorities, which often disrupts the listener’s expectations and creates moments of heightened tension.

Var III. Distraction

Research

One of the core inattention symptoms,7 distraction is self-explanatory and commonly known as a hallmark of ADHD.

Music

This variation “continues” anxiety from the prior variation briefly. The inability to focus and becoming easily distracted tend to make anxiety  increasingly worse, due to not being able to focus on tasks you need to complete. The brief continuation of anxiety morphs into two contrasting phrases: swung/jazz style and classical style. The swung/jazz melody is a  daydream/distraction, while the straight melody in the middle is the task you are supposed to focus on. Mordents in the straight melody return, showing elements of anxiety due to the unpredictable nature of becoming distracted with ADHD. The last two measures are seemingly not related to the rest of the variation. However, the ending represents another distinct, and separate distraction than the original distraction, showing a cyclical nature often present with ADHD and the inability to focus.

Var IV. Low Frustration Tolerance & Var VII. Anger Outburst

Research

Emotional dysregulation is a lesser-known facet of ADHD and can easily be one of the most distressing or disabling aspects of living with ADHD, as emotional dysregulation correlates with symptoms severity and executive functioning.8 Regardless of age, “outbursts of anger and irritability” are part of emotional dysregulation and “up to 70% of adults with the disorder implement more frequently non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies compared to people without ADHD symptoms.”9

Music

Var IV. Low Frustration Tolerance

Eye tracking and pacing in ADHD individuals is becoming more known and widely researched, and may explain why people with ADHD generally struggle with maintaining focus on reading.10 This variation quotes #28 in the Progressive Melodies in the Complete Method for Oboe by Apollon Barret, and reflects my own struggle when reading music with Oboe 1 and 2 in the same part either as separate lines in systems or as divisi. My eyes tend to wander to the part I am not supposed to be playing. The Barret melodies are notated in a grand staff, so this begins with a quote of #28 and as eyes should transition to the next system, your eye instead starts reading the bass clef line on the system you just left. Then, a multiphonic is blurted, out  of frustration, and to get the transition to the next system, the melody goes back a few measures, accelerates to get through the transition, and returns to the original tempo of the variation. This silly mistake keeps happening and builds until finally, that’s enough and now frustration completely takes over. 

Var VII. Anger Outburst

Before I was diagnosed with ADHD, I often experienced intense stress regarding oboe and reed making without having effective strategies to manage it. One way that stress manifested was through playing low notes or multiphonics forcefully to release some of the tension I was feeling. This variation incorporates these gestures directly, using low-register “honks” and aggressive multiphonics as musical representations of anger outbursts. 

Var V. Boredom

Research

Despite some obvious links between boredom and ADHD, these links remain understudied in current literature.11 A meta-analytic review of studies that have been conducted on links between boredom and ADHD states that people with ADHD have described boredom in various ways that indicate “boredom in ADHD is not simply a mild dislike of unstimulating contexts but a deeply distressing affective state.”12

Music

While writing portions of Interruptions, I played Beethoven’s 7th with two different orchestras in the span of weeks: one orchestra as principal oboe and the other as second oboe. On second oboe, I found the second movement to be quite boring in my part. Another piece that I have found boring and repetitive to play is Ravel’s Bolero. Both works are quoted in this variation. Ravel’s quote is within the rhythmic pattern and Beethoven’s quote is within the melodic shape, and together they create a sense of stagnancy and boredom. 

Var VI. Demand Avoidance

Research

More commonly associated with ASD, but highly comorbid with ADHD, demand avoidance consists of reluctancy to complete tasks that require a lot of mental effort over a long period of time.13

Music

Unlike the other variations, this variation does not have a key center of G. It modulates frequently between A flat major and F sharp major, with all notes immediately surrounding G emphasized until the end builds to a high G out of resentment.

Var VIII. Hyperfocus

Research

Of all of the variations, hyperfocus is the last facet of ADHD that most people would associate with a disorder relating to the inability to focus. However, research is starting to change the view of ADHD from attention deficit to attention dysregulation or a disorder related to executive functioning, where “motivation, relevance, and attractiveness of the task influence symptomatic manifestations…Thus, overconcentration or ‘hyperfocus’ in highly motivating situations are frequent in individuals with this condition. Many patients with ADHD can concentrate in some contexts, but they cannot deploy concentration at some ordinary moments in which it is needed.”14

Music

This variation quotes the La Scala di Seta fast oboe excerpt and demonstrates uneven practice patterns, varying articulations, and chunking.

Var IX. Everything

Music

This final variation attempts to represent the cumulative and often simultaneous experience of ADHD traits rather than isolating them into individual categories, which is what ADHD often feels like internally. The variation combines a few measures of all variations based around the theme with sudden shifts and expression text notating what variation it shifts to. The ending is nearly identical to demand avoidance variation, because despite coping skills and self-accommodation, the world was not built for neurodivergent people to thrive and therefore, we carry the burden of dealing with life and our struggles but would like to demand of the world that it change to better accommodate us.

Research/Perspective Taking

It is important to note that all facets of ADHD addressed in Interruptions are generally human traits and are not always unique to ADHD. What distinguishes these experiences in ADHD is their level of intensity, frequency, and impact on daily life. The current diagnostic criteria for ADHD requires the presence of five or more symptoms of inattention that have persisted for at least six months.15

Diagnostic evaluations vary among clinicians and may include interviews, behavioral rating scales, and objective measures such as the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-2 CPT), which was one of the tests administered as part of my own evaluation. The IVA-2 CPT “provides an objective and standardized evaluation of attention and impulse control, utilizing visual and auditory stimuli. This comprehensive assessment allows for a more accurate understanding of cognitive functioning, going beyond subjective observations and self-reported symptoms.”16

  1. Cortese et al, “Attention-deficity/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults: evidence base, uncertainties and controversies.” World Psychiatry 24, no. 3 (2025): 347-371. https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fwps.21374 ↩︎
  2. A. Rodríguez-Quiroga, A. Álvarez Astorga, A.M. Matas Ochoa and J. Quintero. “Understanding the Overlap: Exploring the Complex Comorbidity of ASD and ADHD.” European Psychiatry 68, no. S1 (2025): S572-S573. 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.1172 ↩︎
  3. Cortese et al. ↩︎
  4. Dimitrios Adamis, Jake Tiernan, Iulian Coada, Jasmin Singh, Natasha Langan, Blánaid Gavin, and Fiona McNicholas. “Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Impact of Comorbidity and ADHD Subtype.” SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine 8, no. 6 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-025-02243-1 ↩︎
  5. Cortese et al. ↩︎
  6. Darby E. Attoe and Emma A. Climie. “Miss. Diagnosis: A Systemic Review of ADHD in Adult Women.” Journal of Attention Disorders27, no. 7 (2023): 645-657. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10173330/ ↩︎
  7. Cortese et al, Table 1. ↩︎
  8. Cortese et al. ↩︎
  9. Ibid. ↩︎
  10. Georgia Andreau and Ariadni Argatzopoulou. “Unraveling ADHD Through Eye-Tracking Procedures: A Scoping Review.” Journal of Attention Disorders, 29, no. 11: (2025): 977-988. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251344731 ↩︎
  11. Peter Muris, Henry Otgaar and Franc Donkers. “The Boredom-ADHD Nexus: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review of the Evidence.” Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review (2026). https://rdcu.be/fqc2f ↩︎
  12. Muris et al. ↩︎
  13. Cortese et al. ↩︎
  14. Ibid. ↩︎
  15. ADDA Editorial Team. “DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD: How Is Adult ADHD Evaluated?” https://add.org/adhd-dsm-5-criteria/ ↩︎
  16. IVA 2 Cognitive Performance Test (CPT). https://colonycare.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/IVA-2-_1_.pdf ↩︎

Arrangements

Moonlight sonata, I. Adagio sostenuto

Piano Sonata no. 14 in C-sharp Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven
for oboe, violin, viola, cello, and bass arr. by Kelsey Maes © 2024

About this arrangement

About piano sonata no. 14 in c-sharp minor

This piece was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1801 when he had begun losing his hearing, which “affirms the accepted narrative of Beethoven as a tortured, heroic artist.”1 It was not referred to or entitled as Moonlight by Beethoven, rather a German poet thought the first movement reminded him of “a boat floating in the moonlight on Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne.”2 Back then, the work’s form did not fit the traditional sonata form and other elements were considered innovative such as a “suggestive of a free-flowing, improvised fantasia.”3

As advocacy for disability awareness and rights has expanded in the 21st century, so should our re-evaluatuations of the traditional “Western classical music canon” and whether they might have had some sort of visible, invisible, physical, or mental disabilities, and how those disabilities may have impacted their life. We cannot always retroactively diagnose historical figures with a disability, but we can analyze primary source writings about historical figures and compare documented behaviors to modern diagnostic criteria in a correlative way. In the case of Beethoven and his hearing loss, it is well documented and well known.

About arrangement

I arranged this piece for my third DMA recital, themed “An Evening with Oboe and Strings,” which was about 4 months after being formally diagnosed with autism and ADHD. I had already chosen to perform the Vaughan Williams Oboe Concerto with small string orchestra and Mozart Oboe Quartet, but wanted a third piece that was for oboe and strings. I have always enjoyed making arrangements yet had little to no time or bandwidth to do so regularly, so I decided to challenge myself and arrange the first movement of Moonlight Sonata for oboe and strings. Like autism and ADHD are often considered disabilities, so is the gradual hearing loss Beethoven experienced across his lifespan. The anguish of the first movement captures what it feels like to be freshly diagnosed with autism and ADHD at 26 years old, unraveling nearly every life experience, social interaction, past-perceived character flaws or failures that can be attributed to undiagnosed neurodivergence, and more.

  1. Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “How ‘Moonlight’ Sonata provides atelling glimpse into Beethoven’s soul.” https://cso.org/experience/article/28007/how-moonlight-sonata-provides-a-telling-glimp
  2. Brittanica Encyclopedia. “Moonlight Sonata.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moonlight-Sonata
  3. Ibid. A fantasia is a form that is based in improvisation and does not follow a strict form.