At some point or another, most people will wonder whether or not its too late to finally learn a musical instrument. Not everyone has the opportunity or inclination to pick up the guitar or piano when a child, but appreciation with music comes with age, and with appreciation comes a desire to learn.
But is there such a thing as being too old to learn piano? There are a lot of myths about how age impacts one’s ability to learn a musical instrument. Maybe you’ve heard some of them:
- Older people lack the manual dexterity
- After your mid-twenties, your brain is no longer plastic enough
- It takes much longer to become proficient if you’re past the age of twenty
Fortunately, none of these things are really true. It’s certainly easier to pick up musical instrument when you’re a child, but there is no reason why dedicated practice with an experienced instructor won’t help you achieve proficiency. And if you did play a little as a child, going back to studying the instrument can be extremely rewarding.
If you want to start playing piano — or want to bone up on your skills — but are worried you’re too old, here are two reasons to give lessons a try.
Lessons Can Help You Reach Your Full Potential
Learning to play an instrument is a life-long endeavour, and even if you took piano lessons when you were younger, chances are you could still stand to learn a few new things.
Most musicians will hit a plateau at some point or another, where they are good enough to play many of the songs they like, but their skills aren’t improving enough to tackle harder material. If you want to improve your playing ability overcoming these plateaus is crucial.
The problem is they often require dedicated practice to overcome. If you are working a full-time job, it can be hard to carve out the consistent practice time needed to reach your full potential. Lessons are a great way to build the practice into your daily life, and will keep you accountable as you learn.
Learning a New Instrument is Good for the Brain
Most people who are drawn to playing an instrument want to give it a try because they love music and want to perform it themselves.
And while this is the single best reason to take lessons, studying piano comes with a host of other benefits.
Learning piano — like learning any new instrument — is an unparalleled mental workout for your brain that has been proven to help your brain stay nimble as you age. This is in part because learning to play an instrument builds and strengthens neural pathways and helps strengthen hand-eye coordination.
For this reason, piano lessons Toronto adults can participate in aren’t just good for the soul, but are good for the mind and body as well!
Music is one of the great joys of life, and even if you haven’t been able to dedicate as much time to it as you would have liked, you should never feel that you’re simply too old to give it a shot. Find a school near you that offers piano lessons for adults, and make 2020 the year you finally start learning that Mozart piece you love.
