Adult Beginners- What You Need to Know

Author: admin

16 Feb

Oy. I’ve lost a couple adult students. This seems to be inevitable when teaching an adult. I’ve decided I’m going to screen and prepare adult students a little better in the future. Here is what I will say. (Maybe I’ll say it a little nicer than this though).

Make sure this time in your life is a good time to commit to piano lessons. Taking piano lessons is very involved. You have to be able to commit to a weekly lesson. You can’t constantly be cancelling the lesson just because something else comes up! You have to be able to commit to practicing EVERY DAY. You also cannot expect great results in a short amount of time. You are going to start out learning elementary songs like “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Children will play better than you for a long time. If you want to succeed, you must be willing to stick with piano lessons for YEARS. There is NO instant gratification in the beginnings of piano. That being said, piano can be incredibly rewarding, and it is so worth the years of hard work.

Can you commit to daily practice, weekly lessons, and dinky songs for years? Then, you are ready!

What do you tell adult beginners?

Filed under: Oy Veh, Thoughts, Trial and Error Tips

5 Responses for "Adult Beginners- What You Need to Know"

Angela Bowles February 16th, 2009 at 8:16 pm 1
It is difficult to teach adult students, it really is. I teach a young Mother right now, and I am taking on a man that just wants to learn theory. The mom often tells me she does not practice, and of course, I can tell. I am sure she is buy, but at the same time, I want to just grab her by the shoulders, and say just what you said above! Good luck with those students! They’ve got to be the toughest ones out there!
Atara February 17th, 2009 at 8:37 am 2
One of my friends told me that she noticed the adults who wanted to play classical music had a better handle on what it would take to really learn to play. She found those who called and asked, “How long until I can play for church?” “How long until I play like Norah Jones?” to be unrealistic and usually quit.
sfrack February 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm 3
I can understand the frustration. So to let an adult student know my dedication I tell them that payment is due at the beginning of a 10 week session- no make ups offered. That way the student takes it a bit more seriously.

As their teacher, however, I have to appreciate the giant step they are taking to try something new or something they are revisiting. I have to keep in mind that the process will tax their brain more than if they were a child, and therefore, I have to bring a great sense of humor and relaxation to the setting. I will have to teach them to laugh at themselves but also know how admirable they are for enrolling in lessons. I have to realize that any progress is a celebration. Adults have jobs, families, and households to run. I applaud them for extending themselves. At this point in their lives, lessons should be fun. They’ve earned it.
Fiona February 18th, 2009 at 6:47 pm 4
I like the above comment about committing to 10 weeks, and paying for that. Two of the adults I teach can’t manage to do that, but they are reliable. In future I think I’ll ask adults (after explaining that yes they will need to practise etc) to pay for a term up-front and if they’re not having fun at the end of the term, they can feel free to quit, no questions asked. If I don’t think they’ve been practising enough, then I will feel free at that point to say so and ask them to seriously consider continuing. I’d rather lose a student that have both of us being miserable. Also I won’t be taking any fortnightly students – it’s weekly or not at all.

The adults I’ve taught who are having fun don’t mind how easy-peasy the pieces are, they are thrilled to be playing anything. (The other ones are too busy making excuses for why they haven’t practised yet again.) I have one lovely adult student who used to thank me over and over for the first year or so because she was just so happy to be playing the piano at last – a dream student!
Stengel99 February 26th, 2009 at 8:19 am 5
It’s always reassuring to read about the experiences of other teachers when they parallel your own. I’ve had some bad experiences with adults as well; last-minute cancellations, lack of reasonable progress, etc. I’m not sure I would ever go as far as declining to work with an adult student, but I certainly won’t bend over backwards or alter my teaching schedule to make room for a new adult.