Adult Piano Lessons

How many adults have you heard say, "I've always wanted to play the piano"? They outnumber by about four to one the people who say, "My parents made me take lessons, but I never learned to play well." Have you said one of these yourself?

Teaching styles have changed in the past couple of decades, with development of the ear receiving praise rather than condemnation, as it once did. No more rulers are striking hands, and today's teachers recognize many different learning styles, including the kinesthetic ones.

At least a third of my students are adults, in any given year, and I get referrals from many teachers who don't have or don't want experience in teaching adults. Some teachers feel inadequate to teach jazz, which is a field of interest to many adults returning to the piano or trying their first lessons.

Barbara is retired but still helps out at the restaurant that she and her husband own. Her famous cinnamon buns draw a regular clientele. Her mother played piano, by ear, at the restaurant until she was 92. Barbara wants to learn to play, and is working hard at following my directions, but she is finding major obstacles to her success.

I was able, after a couple of months of lessons, to convince her to practice mostly her old, familiar songs, memorized or not, as a priority. Then if there is extra time, she could work on a couple of new ones. And I always stress the importance of playing awhile every day, not skipping days and overdoing it on the others. It's so much easier on the brain and the fingers to spread it out.

Barbara's ear is helping tremendously in playing familiar tunes that she has sung or danced to in the past. She plays very well with the drum accompaniment on the keyboard, providing a band to back her up. But her sight reading of new, unfamiliar songs is not yet "a happening thing", a problem we are in the midst of addressing. Meanwhile, she can enjoy the ones that are old favorites, building coordination and confidence at the same time.

Terry is lucky to have longer fingers and a larger stretch than mine, and she looks forward to playing classical pieces that are presently beyond her reach.

She is learning Fur Elise, which was her daughter's choice for Solo and Ensemble competition. She encourages her daughter who plays trumpet also, by serving as a role model in her enjoyment of music.

Jeanne had some lessons as an adult, some years ago. She continued to play on her own, and then received a gift certificate from her husband for her birthday, offering piano lessons for one month. He is a talented musician who plays many band instruments. Their children are beyond the baby stage, and Jeanne is finding more time free for her own pursuits.

When Jeanne came to me for lessons, she played some of the lighter classics such as Clementi Sonatinas and some of the easier Bach preludes. She learned each new concept extremely quickly, scored a perfect 12 on our Winter Olympic competition several weeks early, and memorized her Bach pieces.

One of the challenges for Jeanne was learning to build longer phrases by using a lighter touch and not to reinforce her counting with vertical motion of her forearms. She has accomplished this and is now exploring Impressionist music.

The challenge to me, as her teacher, is getting Jeanne to memorize older, simpler songs. She is so fascinated by new songs and is a good reader, so that task gets neglected. Playing old, familiar pieces is what make playing piano a leisure activity, and not another job to do.

Jeanne enjoys demonstrating melodies on the piano for her five-year-old son who can copy them the first time. In fact, he has picked out other familiar tunes on his own and now has quite a repertoire.

Other students, past and present, include Marilyn, a retired schoolteacher who is fighting a disease that leaves her with some "bad days". Playing the piano is a stress reliever for her and helps her maintain flexibility in her joints and mental competence.

Jami played chords on the keyboard with her church band and wants to learn much more about playing the piano. She's looking for a spinet to replace her electronic keyboard for practicing at home.

Bob played for about three years and overcame the worst case of stage fright I have ever seen. Playing for the adult class he attended was so daunting that it took him, in the beginning, several minutes to actually begin a piece. He rose to the challenge, however, and went on to become my first adult student to voluntarily perform at a student recital. No one who attended saw any signs of his previous fear.

My adult students gather once a month for a master class, called The Second Sunday Salon, so named to help them remember which week it occurs. Sometimes there is a guest performer from the community; but usually it's just us, which they prefer, so they don't have to play in front of a stranger. They play works in progress, duets with each other and with me, and theory games modeled on familiar table games like tic-tac-toe and bingo. We toss around bits of information about music history and they borrow CDs and videos from my music library. We often sit another hour over hot chocolate and sometimes a jigsaw puzzle, making it a social evening out. Attendance is good, because the rewards are great.

Now these adults who used to say, "I've always wanted to play the piano" - are playing! And they are enjoying their new hobby to the max.