Crystal Rae
It’s no secret that those who start learning a skill early will have an easier time mastering it. That’s why we see four-year-olds playing Beethoven suites and beating seasoned opponents in chess battles.
Our brains are like sponges when we’re young, but that doesn’t mean we’re all dried up when we get a little older. Many people have the idea that you can’t fully learn a new skill after a certain age, but we’re here to break down that myth a little bit.
We’re going to discuss the benefits of piano lessons for adults in this article, giving you some inspiration to get back out there and learn. Let’s take a look.
Taking Piano Lessons for Adults
Let’s start out by addressing the elephant in the room.
It’s entirely possible to learn and even master a skill that you start in old age. Sure, the children who start playing an instrument before they can speak might become virtuosos by the time they’re 12, but that doesn’t say anything about those who learn later.
The learning curve might be a little bit steeper because it’s harder to find practice time and you have your own responsibilities, but you can start learning anything at any time.
If your dream is to become a professional pianist, you could even manage to make that happen in old age. You’ll have to dedicate a little more time and effort and assign a few more years to your practice schedule, but it’s still possible.
The real question isn’t whether or not you can learn, it’s why you haven’t started yet. Are there some limiting beliefs you have about yourself that are holding you back from excelling or taking risks in your life?
What’s the Hold-Up?
Many people don’t have the opportunity to dedicate a lot of time to learning a skill. Especially when the skill is one that doesn’t always make you money and requires spare time throughout the day.
The piano is a luxury that those in financial trouble might not be able to afford. If you’re hustling to pull yourself out of a tough spot, extra time for piano lessons and practice might not be on your radar.
That said, there are many people who have the time and money to start working on the piano, but they don’t. If you would really like to be able to play the piano, it’s worth asking yourself why you haven’t made the push to begin.
Here are a few common reasons:
Unrealistic Expectations
Is your brain wired to make you think that perfection is the only option? Did your family make you feel that hobbies and skills aren’t worthwhile if they don’t get you anywhere?
If so, you might have the idea that once you start practicing the piano, you have to turn it into something that takes you places. You have to be able to reach a high level of proficiency in a few years and perform. If you don’t, you will have failed and your self-esteem will take a massive hit.
Huh?
These kinds of massive expectations are very damaging. Not only do they set you up for failure, but they place a huge burden on your shoulders. Further, they take you far apart from the possibility of playing and enjoying music.
Music is something that can speak to your heart whether you play four notes in a song or four hundred and fifty. You might be playing chopsticks, or you could be all the way up to a Bach piece.
Either way, what’s the point of doing it if you aren’t enjoying it?
The process of learning a new skill should be enjoyable, and it doesn’t have to be a means to an end. If you like doing the thing, that is worthwhile in itself.
You Don’t Have the Time
Some people really don’t have the time to incorporate anything new into their lives.
Other people work themselves up to be constantly overwhelmed and imagine that they don’t have a spare minute in the day. People in the latter category typically do have a large amount of spare time but might procrastinate a little bit.
Procrastination creates the illusion of business, but a little time management might free up massive amounts of free time. If you genuinely want to take piano lessons, take note of your schedule over the next week.
How much time do you spend watching streaming services? How much extra time is there in between your scheduled appointments. For example, do you take half an hour after breakfast before you start to get ready in the morning?
How much time have you spent browsing social media over the week?
Studies suggest that the average person spends roughly two hours on social media every day. If that habit continues on throughout a person’s life, they will have spent roughly 5 years of total time on social media.
Not only is that at least five percent of a person’s lifetime, but it’s enough time to master the piano many times over.
Odds are that there is some time that you could free up throughout the day if you wanted to. You don’t have to be a machine that never relaxes, though.
It isn’t as if learning the piano requires you to use every ounce of free time you have. A lesson or two and some practice each week will start to send you in the right direction. Over time, you’ll be surprised at how well you’re playing.
You’re Not Musical
Malarkey.
Human beings are innately musical, whether that means they’re as sophisticated as Jimi Hendrix or as fundamental as a child.
Music doesn’t have to sound any particular way or be any level of quality for it to be enjoyable. Wherever you’re at in that journey, you’re capable of making something that you enjoy.
Some people might be naturally gifted, but that doesn’t mean that others can’t learn to be musical. There are so many things that you could be learning that you don’t even know about, so there’s no reason to be embarrassed about your musical ability.
Just because you can’t draw the room’s attention right away doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to.
Are you embarrassed that you can’t make wood sculptures? How about your inability to lay your own kitchen tile? What about the fact that you can’t create computer code?
All of these things are skills that take time to learn, and there’s no shame in not knowing them. Life is too packed with possibilities to explore them all, so don’t place criticism on yourself for being underdeveloped in something.
The Benefits of Learning the Piano
Once you make the decision to get started, you’ll experience a few benefits that you might not have expected. Note that none of these have to do with fame or fortune.
First, you’ll experience less stress. Listening to and playing music is known to reduce stress. Incorporating practice into your daily life will chip away at that knot of stress you’ve been building up and leave you feeling a little calmer.
Not to mention that playing music is an excellent way to release stress intentionally. If you’re feeling a difficult and complex emotion, instruments are some of the most fundamental vessels to shoot those difficulties out of.
Even if the tune doesn’t sound particularly good to anyone else, you’re still participating in something cathartic.
Expanded Community
Another thing that happens when you start playing music at any level is an expansion of your circle. It starts with your piano teacher.
Follow through on that “piano lessons near me” search, and you’ve made yourself one new connection. After that, you’ll start to meet new people that go to the same lessons, play the same tunes, and attend the same concerts as you.
You might even find that you make your way over to a friend’s house to jam once in a while. Those connections only compound upon one another, and you’ll find that the network of musicians in your life is a great resource for friendship and advice.
Lifelong Joy
Once you reach a certain level of proficiency, playing the piano will become second nature to you. Sure, you’ll still have to practice and learn complex songs if you want to, but you’ll have the fundamental ability to keep a tune.
You’ll know how the notes weave together, where they tend to go, and which combinations work well together. Different chords and variations will be at your fingertips, and you’ll find that you’re able to play beautiful things without thinking too hard about them.
That’s something that you won’t lose so long as you sit down to play every now and again.
Interested in Taking Piano Lessons?
Finding piano lessons for adults in your area is incredibly easy. The tough part is getting the motivation to attend the first lesson. After that, you’ll be on your way to proficiency.
It can be tough to get the inspiration to find the time, though. We’re here to help. Explore our site for more ideas on taking lessons, inspiration, creativity, and more.
