When is the best time to learn the piano?

A lot of people think that the best time to learn a new skill is at a young age. Many even suggest that it is best to learn the piano around 5 to 9 years of age. Sometimes as early as 4, but depending on the maturity and understanding of a child, and how he or she responds with certain instructions and scenarios in a piano lesson. Learning the piano as a child may have some advantages when learning a new skill, but what if you have surpassed this stage in life, and you still want to learn something new like playing the piano?

Learning the piano may be a different process when you are at a certain age but it does not mean it is less effective. Learning the piano as an adult has advantages too. There are plenty of factors that can help you when you learn piano at an older age. In this article, we will be discussing different advantages of learning the piano as an adult.

Goal Oriented

Being an adult, we often know what we want to learn or achieve. When you decide to take piano lessons, you do want to learn something, have goals or at least a thought of what you want to play. You could be aiming for a song to perform, or maybe a level to attain, to become a proficient piano player. Having goals is an excellent way to motivate yourself in achieving those goals. It is a good reminder which will push us to become better and continue progressing in the art of piano playing. Aside from giving you motivation, setting goals gives you long term vision that will help you become organized.

Better Understanding

One of the perks of being an adult when it comes to piano learning is that an adult can understand complex information better than young individuals. Learning the piano involves being familiar with a lot of information and applying them to the instrument. Each detail that is written on a music sheet has a purpose and it should be followed in order to interpret what the composer had written. These skills are important not just in piano playing, but with all other musical instruments. Adults have the ability to grasp details in a way that will make them understand the lesson better. Each individual has their own way of learning, and being an adult will help you learn the piano fast as you have an idea which learning style works best for you.

Receives Constructive Criticism Effectively

What is also better when you learn the piano as an adult is that you can learn from constructive criticism more effectively. Young learners might take some time to understand and learn from constructive criticism. When you take lessons from a piano teacher, you should be used to receiving constructive criticism especially when dealing with music interpretation. Piano lessons are also the time when your teacher will have the opportunity to give comments about your playing which can help you to become better as a pianist.

Responsible for Regular Practise

Kids do not usually practise on their own, unless they were trained since they were very small. Usually, all they think about is playing around and having fun. Kids would rather be playing with their gadgets or doing something that would be fun instead of sitting in front of the piano and practising passages over and over again until they manage to play them well enough. Learning the piano is fun but it can get challenging when it comes to developing practise habits. As adults, we understand more about the outcomes of hard work. That is why we can be more responsible when we want to accomplish something.

Requires Discipline

Learning the piano is not just a short time or temporary process that happens during a summer break or a short vacation. Learning the piano should be treated as a lifestyle. If you want to become proficient in piano playing, you would need to invest a lot of time as learning the piano does not happen in a short amount of time. The muscles of our bodies need some time to adapt to certain movements before they get used to it. That is why it is important to be disciplined when it comes to observing regular practise time.

Communication is Key

Communication between a teacher and a student in piano lessons is extremely vital because every individual is different. In order for the teacher to know what the student does and does not understand and what the student needs to learn, is by openly communicating with each other. An excellent piano teacher must not only be skillful but also must have the ability to make their students feel comfortable regardless of their background with the instrument. That is why it is essential to look for a piano teacher with good chemistry when it comes to communicating with the students. As an adult, it is so much easier to communicate with the piano teacher because he or she knows what questions to ask (the understanding of an adult is more developed than that of a young student).

Just because you have reached adulthood does not mean you cannot learn the piano anymore. Learning the piano is possible for everyone as long as you have the maturity, drive and the right mindset to pursue learning the instrument, as learning the piano really takes time. It helps when you have a good support system as well, and one of the ways to do that is by being acquainted with different piano learners as well. As an adult, it can be easier to be in a community with the same interest, as we can socialize in many ways.

So going back to the question, “when is the best time to learn the piano?”. The answer is there is no perfect time to learn it but now. If you have the interest to learn something, always grab the available opportunity. You might not know when you will be able to have it when the time comes. So what are you waiting for? Book your lessons now with us and learn from excellent instructors here at S&C Music!