3 October 2020 Succeeding With Piano Lessons as an Adult Learner

Succeeding With Piano Lessons as an Adult Learner

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Remember when you took piano lessons as a child? Maybe you suggested it to your parents. Maybe they pushed you into them. Yet, at some point, life got in the way, and you gave up piano to pursue other things. 

Now, as an adult, you’re contemplating what hobbies to take on. And playing the piano has surfaced as a skill you want to pursue. 

With a few tips in mind, there are ways you can bring it into your life and work on being a better piano player. It’s not impossible to learn, no matter what your age. 

Find a good teacher

Teaching comes in a variety of media formats today. It doesn’t mean you’ll have to head to your local music store anymore. Instead, you can search online and find many different programs virtually too. Consider private lessons as well as group learning, as they each have their own benefits. It’s important to select the right teacher, one who understands adult learning, and won’t pair you with a younger audience you’re not comfortable around. 

Look at other platforms

You can find ways to improve your playability in a variety of means. Download an app. Play a game. Watch a video course. Or even check out your local orchestra for musical theory. Becoming a better piano player isn’t just about playing. It’s also about understanding the way music is created. 

Create a practice environment

Like any hobby, the only way you’ll get better is if you practice. Schedule it if you have to. Then stick with a plan. Make it a time you enjoy playing, one where you can relax and focus on your music. If it becomes a chore, you’re less likely to do it. So pick a time that works for you. Maybe after a long day when you need stress relief. Or first thing in the morning when you’re full of energy. Don’t worry about starting and stopping a clock. Instead, play what feels comfortable to you. Because the more you enjoy it, the more likely you’ll be to play on a regular basis. 

Learn patience

Playing piano is a lifelong experience. The more you do it, the more you’ll learn, the more you’ll enjoy. This isn’t about burning through music as fast as you can. It’s more about challenging yourself and learning something new. Pick out songs you love and work on perfecting them. You can even look for ways to showcase your new skills – how about performing a concert for friends and family? Goals are good to give you something to work towards. 

But no matter what your end goal is, keep in mind it’s all about learning. It is possible for adults to succeed at piano lessons. It’s up to you to define what that means. 

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2 April 2017 Why Adult Piano Lessons Help With Aging

Why Adult Piano Lessons Help With Aging

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Want to keep your brain young and healthy? Want to bring a little bit of fun into your life?

Consider piano lessons. 

Many people believe they reach an age where they no longer can try something new. Where their ability to learn new skills is too difficult a task to take on. It’s simply not true. The real problem lies in that most don’t want to go through the awkward first steps of struggling to bring something new into their lives. They don’t want to embarrass themselves in front of their peers. Why Adult Piano Lessons Help With Aging

But developing new skills is vitally important in maintaining cognitive strength. And there is no time limit to starting. 

Learning to play music helps to guard against cognitive decline, memory loss, and the loss of being able to distinguish consonants and spoken words. And it’s not just a child this helps. It helps the first time learner, no matter what age they begin. 

Musical training helps to create lasting neural pathways in the brain. Learning and practicing give a person motor control and coordination, as well as listening skills that can boost the brain’s capacity later in life. This impact has been measured through a study that shows professional musicians have significantly more gray matter than non-musicians. And because music requires both the left and right brain for processing, it stimulates many different parts of the brain in a variety of ways. 

Music also helps reduce the difficulty many older people have with discerning conversations in noisy situations. This skill is most likely derived from the preciseness required and developed during music training. Memorizing notes, playing tunes, and improvising throughout the process helps tie cognitive skills together. 

In order to keep your body fit as you age, exercise is an important skill to take on in a variety of ways. The same holds true with your brain. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. 

The damage done to cognitive function by age can be reduced by stimulating the mind and encouraging the brain to continue to work in new ways. How you do that is up to you. 

Learn piano today. 

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30 September 2016 Tips For Teaching Piano to Adults 50+

Tips For Teaching Piano to Adults 50+

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There are two approaches to teaching piano. The first is the pedagogical model, where teaching is teacher directed. Teachers choose what to teach and what the student will learn in logical step-by-step format.

The second approach is student directed. A student sits down and chooses what they wish to learn and approaches every lesson based on their desires for what to play.Tips For Teaching Piano to Adults 50

The second approach is often just what’s needed to keep adult learners engaged. After all, when an adult chooses to learn to play the piano, they have a pretty good idea of what they wish to play. Yes, they understand the need for some of the basics. But overall, they have a goal and a plan already in mind. They have their desires already laid out.

That’s also why in many cases adults over 50 are also easier to teach.

They have the most expendable income of any other age bracket – they choose to spend on what they most desire. That means a quality piano, the right accessories, and quality lessons.

They know what they want to learn. They may have a particular song in mind they want to learn.

They also have a better understanding of music. Even if they’ve never picked up an instrument before, they have years of experience in listening. They understand rhythm. They understand melody. And in many cases, it’s easy to “hear” that just by plucking a few notes on the piano.

When it makes sense, they become more interactive. They choose to play because they have the desire.

With older students, get them to play right away. Don’t introduce theory or basics in the beginning. Realize those will come over time. Instead, listen to what an adult student has to say. They set the stage for all that you can teach.

Also, don’t be too much of a stickler on proper finger arrangement. Adult students have a lot of experience in keyboarding. They’ve typed away at the computer for years. And in many cases, fingers will naturally fall into place, be comfortable to do what they need to do. You can adjust when difficulties arise in the future. But from the beginning, the most important thing is just to start playing.

What have you found helps your adult students to play?

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3 January 2015 How Piano Lessons Help Your Memory

How Piano Lessons Help Your Memory

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There is a lot of research and evidence going on right now around the concept that mental stimulation can improve your mental well being. Visit any wellness site or pick up a magazine targeting people as we age and you’ll find all kinds of “games” and other exercises that can help your brain get stronger, thus improving your memory.

And that’s what we’re all after, right? From the very first time we have a “senior moment”, we start questioning our future paths. According to the Alzheimer’s Association:

  • More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s
  • Every 67 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s
  • Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States

How Piano Lessons Help Your MemoryPretty scary statistics. And if you know someone who has Alzheimer’s, or feel your risk factor is above average, you’re probably spent even a little extra time worrying about your own future. Have you specifically tried something new, hoping it would improve your brain’s health?

While new games, exercising, even starting a new hobby can all help you keep your brain healthy, there is one activity that may have been on your bucket list for awhile that has long been studied for its brain boosting power: music.

Many neurologists have studied the impact playing an instrument has on the brain. When studies have looked at introducing children to the joys of making music, and have followed the study as they incorporate music into their lives, they’ve found the impact can have amazing effects:

  • Listening skills are improved
  • Language skills are improved, including reading ability, verbal fluency, memory, and second language acquisition
  • Music training improves the ability to stay focused on means and goals and see things through to fruition

Kids that continue on with music into their teens and twenties have been found to:

  • Be better at test taking
  • Score higher on tests like SAT and ACT
  • One of the top majors in college that move onto medical school is music

All of that adds up to motivating evidence showing the relationship between brain health and music.

If it can achieve those kinds of results in children and young adults, imagine what it can do for a person throughout their life.

Are you looking for activities to help keep your brain in top function? Playing the piano may be the perfect choice. From choosing the perfect piano, to selecting the right piano teacher, we’ve been helping customers all over Memphis for years put music into their lives. We would be happy to help you too; stop by or call today.

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29 October 2014 Expectations Of The Adult Beginning Piano Student

Expectations Of The Adult Beginning Piano Student

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Bucket lists are great things. They can help you realize all the things you’ve wanted to do in the past, and put some urgency towards things you hope to accomplish in the future.

One of the most popular things to make a bucket list is learning to play the piano. And while it does take a lifetime to perfect your piano playing technique, there is no better time than the present to take action.

Just like as a child learns to play the piano, there are things that can help the adult beginning piano student be even better at the process.Expectations Of The Adult Beginning Piano Student

Start with a schedule

We all have busy lives, and too often things come up that stop us from taking action on the newest parts of our lives. Yet if you want to become proficient at playing the piano, regularity is mandatory. Commit to taking lessons on a weekly basis, and stick with the schedule if at all possible. Likewise, set up regular practice times between lessons and make them a priority in your day. Beginning piano students should expect to practice their weekly assignment for about 30 minutes a day, 5 days of the week in between lessons to ensure steady progress.

Choose the right teacher

When selecting a piano teacher, make sure you choose one who works with adults on a regular basis. Adults learn differently than children, so its important to choose a piano instructor that can help you achieve results in a way well suited for adults. A child has better coordination and can imitate and pick up music at a very quick pace. Adults may need to hear music at a slower pace, or need to practice in phrases rather than entire pieces at a time. However, adults generally can stick with something for longer periods of time, which gives them the advantage of being able to sit there and do it simply for the joy of potential completion.

Teaching approaches

Keep in mind that with every instructor, they may have a slight variation to the way they teach. There isn’t a “one method for all” approach to piano teaching. Some teachers may have you tap out rhythms as you are learning a new piece. Others may have you work on small stanzas at a time to perfect different rhythms in the song. While children like to “do”, adults like to know why. Always ask why you are doing different things throughout the learning process. If you know the why, the actual doing can be easier. Also keep in mind that if you don’t resonate with one instructor and don’t feel like you are learning, its okay to move to someone with a different approach.

Overall, adults add “piano playing” to their bucket lists for a variety of reasons.

  • They want a fun leisure activity they can do into old age
  • They want to learn to read music
  • They want the experience of writing and creating their own songs
  • They want to take part in a group activity
  • They want to increase their music appreciation

And of course a whole lot more. Whatever your reason for wanting to learn to play the piano, realize there is no better time than today to get started! Enjoy!

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26 July 2014 Why Any Age Is The Right Age To Learn Piano

Why Any Age Is The Right Age To Learn Piano

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  • Learn a new language.
  • Travel more.
  • Learn to play the piano.

Did you know learning to play the piano is high on many peoples bucket lists? Right up there with speaking a different language and traveling to far away places, the piano holds a mystery that many of us wish we could have in our skill bank.Why Any Age Is The Right Age To Learn Piano

Yet for many of us, we leave it on the list with the concept of “someday” in our minds. Why?

Of all the things on your list, playing the piano is probably one of the easiest.

To truly pick up a language and get good at it, you need to travel. But piano is something you can do right now in the comfort of your own home.

So, what’s holding you back?

Studies show it is harder for an aging brain to learn new things. Add in a stiff back, wrists tired from a day at the computer and sore fingers, and all those add up to big reasons why you shouldn’t give it a try, right?

Well, that’s not what we fear most. Instead, most of us focus in on what family and friends will say, and if we truly have the self confidence to take on such a new, different and challenging task such as the piano. We fear failing and looking like a fool in front of those we love.

If playing the piano has been on your list for a while, think back to the true reasons you haven’t started the process yet. What kind of “excuses” have you put in the way?

“I need to find a piano.”

“I need to find a piano teacher.”

“I need to find the time to play.”

Each of these is easy to solve. And we can help you today.

Finding a piano is as easy as stopping by. We have pianos within every price range, to fit any budget. We have new and used pianos. We have small, portable digital pianos, all the way up to the finest of concert grand pianos.

In short, we have one perfect to match your needs.

Once you choose a piano, we can even point you in the right direction of a teacher who loves to work with beginning adult students.

And once you have the first two steps down, the act of practicing falls naturally into play.

It really isn’t as difficult as it seems. All it takes is positive action on the very first step of the process. Take that action now; stop by today and choose your very first piano.

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