Music : Why it is never too late to learn how to play the piano

Many older adults regret many things as is normal to do; however, one regret that is constantly mentioned is the regret of not learning to play the piano when they were young. And even those that played the piano when they were young usually regret not continuing with it.

For the thousands of children taking piano lessons, maybe half of those will be proficient enough to play before an audience or accompany someone in their future. Whether the cause of this phenomenon is American children’s restlessness to learn an art, or the cost of learning this art, nobody can really say.

About one quarter of people will say that they simply couldn’t afford or couldn’t accommodate a piano in their house. Another one quarter will admit that they really didn’t have the time or the finances. With extracurricular sports and expensive video games at an all time high, piano lessons is just an added cost.

With the average cost of a piano lesson at $60 a month, many parents feel that it is a waste, especially if their child does not care to practice. For the rest of the piano students that become proficient in this art, only about one quarter of these will go on to become even more proficient and make piano performance their life work.

Many piano performers have at least one parent that is in the field of music. This is because musicians know how to encourage their student/child, and understand the importance of progressive learning on an instrument. Playing the piano is not a difficult task, but it is time consuming. This is why older people, usually with more time, decide they want to learn to play.

The drawback with this thought is that research has shown that as you age, your brain makes it more difficult to learn things as quickly. So, just as the child would get discouraged with the complexity of the instrument, the adult gets discouraged with the coordination aspect of playing. This is why, as with learning anything, the best time to start is at a young age.

As an adult student, you may not become the next piano virtuoso, but you can learn enough, with time and perseverance, to play several tunes for your friends. Your fortitude may encourage a friend to do something they have always wanted to do, and there’s nothing like the sound of music to liven a heavy heart.

If you have always wanted to learn how to play the piano but think you are too old, take a step back and re-evaluate. It is never too late to learn how to play. After all, the joy is as much in the learning as it is in the performance.

Learn more about this author, Caryna St. John.