Playing the piano isn't limited to grade school or high school students. And playing the piano isn't something designed just for people who want to become professional musicians.
Playing piano means something different to every pianist, amateur or professional.
Some people want to take piano lessons with the goal of becoming a professional performer. Other adult piano students just want to learn how to play chords and read basic sheet music so they can study and progress at their own pace.
For some it is a casual hobby, and for others it is a main passion in life.
One thing that is common to ALL adult piano students are the many cognitive and emotional benefits to playing the piano as an adult. Even casual amateurs will benefit from taking adult piano lessons.
This is why every adult should learn to play the piano!
Here is a guide that covers many of the reasons why you should learn to play the piano as an adult.
Contact Keylab for help booking your adult piano lessons in NYC or Brooklyn today. We also offer virtual adult piano lessons globally, so contact us today for more information or go here to book your lesson today!
It's Easier to Learn as an Adult
Some children don't have a natural motivation to learn an instrument, or they sometimes have to learn to play an instrument in school, which can take the fun out of playing anything.
But as an adult, you are motivating yourself to play the piano. You want to learn how to play because it excites you to learn music by your favorite artists and to play their songs on a piano.
Your motivation to play the piano as an adult is inspired by your desire. You either want to learn new songs, to entertain friends, or to express yourself in some way. Or you may just be interested intellectually in the instrument, and music theory.
Whatever your motivation, the odds are that because you are pursuing something YOU decided to explore, it will be easier to start piano and understand music theory AND stay motivated as an adult student.
In addition, when you decide you want to learn the piano as an adult, depending on your teacher, you can ask to have a say in what you learn, the pace of adding new material, and other factors in your adult piano lessons.
Adult students can discuss personal goals with their piano teacher and mutually decide how much work they want to put in each week.
Adult Students Have More Control Of Their Experience
You are older and wiser than a child student, and you know what it takes to learn something new. Adults are typically more realistic about setting goals and achieving them in their piano lessons.
Adults Can Largely Get Started On Their Own.
As an adult, you have the advantage of using resources that may not have been at your disposal as a kid. . You can learn about the keyboard, how to play chords, how to play specific songs, and more by watching YouTube videos, downloading various music education apps, and by reading intro to piano books for adults.
You can even try hiring a piano teacher for a one time piano primer class
For these classes, the teacher will talk to you about your goals and desired level of commitment, and will then give you a personalized list of materials and recommendations that will make it easier to learn the piano in the very beginning of your journey.
There Are a Lot of Benefits
There are also a lot of benefits to consider when you learning piano lessons as an adult. Playing the piano offers a lot of health as well as intellectual benefits that can benefit adults as they age.
It Can Make You Smarter
Children who play the piano on the whole display higher cognitive scores than non-piano students. This helps as they age because playing the piano or any instrument improves brain function. This effect has also been observed in adults, with indications that learning the piano and reading music as an adult can be an effective way to increase or maintain your brain function. Learning piano as an adult has also been proven to improve memory.
It Helps as You Age
Playing a musical instrument like the piano will certainly helps your brain. there is also evidence that regularly engaging certain areas of the brain used by musicians and students of music can help to inhibit dementia and increased cognitive impairment due to aging.
Your Motor Skills Improve
Another important health benefit of learning to play the piano as an adult is that your motor skills are improved.
When you spend countless hours learning a piece on the piano, the repetitive patterns and movement in the body helps your muscles and your fine motor skills improve.
You Are Becoming a Lifelong Learner
As adults age, they become more prone to do doing the same thing each and every day, which for some can sometimes become mundane.
When you learn to play the piano or learn piano music as an adult, you are reconnecting with the process of learning, which is important in staying intellectually stimulated and emotionally engaged.
By taking action and choosing to be a lifelong learner, you are encouraging good outcomes mentally, physically, and emotionally.
When you do learn the piano as an adult, it also inspires your kids to learn to do the same. They want to learn something like the piano, you are showing your kids why learning the piano or any instrument is important.
If you are a parent, you are also teaching your kids that you can learn something at any age. You are teaching them self-discipline and motivation. Learning the piano can be a joint effort that can help you connect with your kids and it can help them also learn a new instrument.
Learning a new instrument is also a great way to stay socially engaged with other adults.
By learning to play piano, you are opening the door to new social opportunities, which has countless emotional and intellectual benefits. Taking piano lessons as an adult can help busy adults to develop new relationships and stay connected.
Now You're Ready to Learn to Play Piano
When you learn to play piano as an adult, it can be challenging. You may be intimated by the fact that you don't know the names of the keys, or how to read notes on the musical staff. You may worry that you're not able to learn new things quickly. You may be concerned that you won't have time to practice, or that you will "fail" at piano lessons.
While these challenges may be daunting, they are easily overcome with the right instructor. Taking piano lessons as an adult requires taking a leap of faith, both in yourself and your instructor. At Keylab, we strive to make sure your lesson experience is tailored to you, and we will go the extra mile to make sure you succeed in pursuing your musical goals, whatever they may be.
Keylab caters primarily to adult piano students in the NY or Brooklyn area, but we also offer virtual adult piano lessons globally.