6 Tips for Adults Pursuing Piano Lessons

It’s never to late to start learning or to continue learning from when you were a child. Some people falsely believe that only children are able to successfully learn to play an instrument. With time and diligence though, an adult can easily become proficient in playing the piano.

A teacher can help you no matter what your experience level is. Whether you’ve never played before or if you played a bit as a child, having one-on-one help can assist you in a variety of ways.

Be patient with yourself. Playing the piano, like any other skill, takes a lot of practice. It will be challenging at times, but let learning be a fun experience for yourself, not a frustrating one. As well, be proud of your accomplishments along the way, whether it’s as small as a good lesson or as big as learning to play a new piece of music. It feels good to succeed even in little ways when you’re learning something new.

Set schedules and goals for yourself. Set aside times during the week for practice. Write down what you want to accomplish, whether this is an individual practice session goal or a bigger picture goal. Doing these things will keep you on track with your learning and help you stay focused overall. It will also be easier for you to see how far you’ve come since you started playing. If you have any questions about whether your goals might be too unrealistic, talk with your teacher about it. They will be able to help you set goals appropriate to your skill level.

You can help yourself succeed by practicing in more effective ways. Practice as soon as you can after you’ve had your lesson. This will help you retain the new information and skills that you’ve just learned from your teacher, bringing them into your long-term memory. As well, it’s more effective to practice for shorter increments a few times a week (or every day if you have the time) than to cram it all into a single long practice session once a week. You will also have more fun and grow as a performer when you spread practicing out.

Have fun with the process! You are taking a big step in deciding to pursue a new skill, and while it should be challenging, it shouldn’t become just another frustration in your life.