Why people quit taking piano lessons

Starting piano lessons is really fun. It’s always really exciting when someone starts. They get excited and see the possibility of it all. They dream about all the songs they are going to learn how to play. They picture themselves playing at the next family gathering and everyone singing along.

And we, as teachers, can see the hope in their eyes. It is such an inspiring and fun time for any student as well as any teacher.

But the inspiration and excitement never last forever. Those are just chemically induced emotions that go away as soon as the chemicals dry up. And the chemicals always dry up eventually. What is left after the initial inspiration wears off?

Reality. And the reality is this…

Learning anything new is hard

Learning the piano is hard. Learning anything is hard. And it takes a lot of time and effort. I think the number one reason people quit taking piano lessons is they start to see how hard it really is. Once they realize it is going to take some time and effort, they become overwhelmed. The voice of self-doubt starts to kick in and they begin to doubt that they have what it takes to stick it out.

The truth is they do. We all do. But many times we let that voice become so loud that we can’t hear the truth anymore. Once that voice is yelling in our ear, we will do anything to make it stop. This is when most people quit. Quitting makes the voice stop.

But there is another way to make it stop. And that is by NOT quitting.

The voice goes away either way. By running away from it or from facing it and yelling back. So many people choose to run away. It’s easier. It’s quicker. And then they can move on to the next thing they hope will bring them the happiness they crave. But those of us who stick it, get to feel something that these other people don’t.

Victory.

Victory shuts the voice down for good. It closes the argument. It allows you to settle into the life you have chosen. It gives you the freedom and solace from the wariness of constant searching. If you are continually searching for the next best thing, you will never find it. If you constantly live in the mentality of “I’ll be happy when…” you are by definition damning yourself to a life of unhappiness.

If you give up when it gets hard, you will never experience the good part. The victory. The victory is what causes the inspirational and fun emotions to return. The victory is where we all crave to be but tend to give up or let ourselves off the hook right before we get there.

Simple, but not easy.

The answer is simple but not easy. The answer is don’t quit. Don’t give up on something that you cared enough about to look up how to learn it, reach out to a stranger to teach it to you, and then give that stranger some of your hard-earned money to show you how to do it. You would never put that much effort into something that wasn’t really important to you.

If you took all these actions to get here, don’t give up on yourself now. The good part is coming. It is closer than you think, but you will never find it if you keep bailing right before it happens. You need to yell back at that voice of self-doubt and tell it you are doing this no matter what it takes. It will shut up eventually once it sees you are serious.

And then you will be able to settle down and get to work. Even more, you will be able to enjoy the work because you will know why you are doing the work. You are no longer teetering between giving up and sticking it out. You have made the conscious choice to go on.

Our promise to you.

Once you make that choice to go on, it is only a matter of time until you finally experience the victory you have so badly craved. It’s all up to you. It’s all in your mind. And we are here to help you along every step of the way. We won’t give up on you if you promise to not give up on yourself.

What Is The Key To Being a Great Piano Player?

There are so many things that go into being a great piano player. Patience. Discipline. Time. Energy. We could probably make a long list of things. But I think there is one quality that above all others is crucial if you want to be great.

Obsession is the key.

We often talk about obsession like it is a bad thing and for sure it can be. Obsession has been ample fodder for many Hollywood tales of love gone wrong. Or how about that detective who forgets to eat because they are so wrapped up in catching the bad guy. You’ve seen the movies. You know what I am talking about.

But there is also a positive side to obsession and it is this positive side that creates exceptional individuals, whether it is in art, politics, fitness, or any other field. Obsession creates winners.

Have you ever hung out with an exceptional musician? You may notice they can be pretty obsessive about certain things. They only like certain kinds of music. They are very specific about the gear they use. They have to sit a certain way at their instrument. If you pay close attention, you will start to see obsession at it’s best.

Why the best are the best.

There is a reason great piano players are so good at their instrument. It’s because they became obsessed with it. Ask any professional pianist and they will tell you the exact same story. It goes something like this.

When they were little, they heard someone play the piano. It may have been a parent, someone at church, or maybe they heard it on TV or the radio. Wherever their first encounter occurred, the results were always the same. They knew they loved what they heard and they knew that they had to figure out how to play like that.

They probably began tinkering at the piano before they ever took any lessons. They would sit there for hours trying to figure out songs note by note. Once they started taking lessons, they could fill in the gaps quicker which made it even more exciting.

Soon all they wanted to do was play the piano. They wanted to be the best. They wanted to play like their heroes. And as they began to learn more about music, they began to understand just how good they could be at it. It all made sense. And what didn’t make sense they were determined to figure out immediately.

Obsession or love?

This is what obsession looks like. But I think another way to put it is this is what love looks like. When you love someone, you want to spend all of your time with them. You want to get to understand them better. You want to be the best partner you can be. And you want all your friends and family to meet them so they can see how awesome they are too.

Music is the exact same way. When you know you love it, you want to spend all your time with it. You want to understand it better. You want to be the best at it. And you want to be able to share it with others so that it can bring the same joy into their life that it has brought into yours.

Embrace the obsession.

Whether you want to call it obsession or love, I am here say it is a beautiful thing. It has brought a lof of joy into my life over the years. It has also brought a lot of pain, but that’s how it goes with obsession just like love. Sometimes you get hurt, but it’s worth it in order to find the one who is going to bring so much joy into your life.

If you have the obsession don’t be afraid of it. Embrace it. Let it drive you to learn more. Let it take you to new places. It may not always be an easy road, but it will be one well worth traveling. And the world will be a better place because you did.

Am I too old to take piano lessons?

Over the years, I have had many conversations with piano students, young and old. It has been really interesting to learn about people’s fears and expectations out of life.

I have talked to many adults who truly believe that it is too late to learn anything new. They think they are stuck in their ways and it’s too late for them.

But then there is a second kind of adult. The one who wants more.

Here is a little known fact about us here at STL Piano Lessons…

We actually have more adult students than we do kid students.

And don’t get me wrong, we love our kids. But there are a lot of adults out there who want more out of life. And we get to see them doing just that every day. They choose to turn their dreams into reality. To take action and pursue the things they have always loved. It’s truly inspiring to see.

And yet, there are many who get stuck in fear. They are curious but still afraid. And the first question they always ask me is…

Am I too old to take piano lessons?

When we think of piano lessons, we think of kids and that’s fair. It’s what you do when you are a kid. You go to school, you ride your bike and you take piano lessons. Those are the quintessential elements of a positive childhood.

But why does it have to stop at childhood? Why can’t we continue to grow and learn as we get older? Well, we can. We all can. And although many adults get paralyzed with fear, there are those who push through to the other side.

There are actually 3 types of adults who seem to push through.

Type #1: These are adults in their early twenties. They just got out of college and got a real job. Suddenly they don’t have to go to school anymore and they find they have some free time. They also have a real job now with some disposable income. And now that they have some time and money, it’s time to take some piano lessons.

Type #2: This is the thirty-something dude (or dudette) who has a corporate job. He makes a good living, has a good life, but his party days are winding down. He is starting to realize that he is getting older and he wants to do something to better himself. He is looking for self-improvement or at the very least a fun hobby. Why not take piano lessons?

Type #3: The retiree. We actually get a lot of students who are recently retired. They find they finally have the free time they have always wanted to pursue things that are important to them. Many times they have been a lifelong fan of music but were so caught up with their jobs and raising a family, that they had no time to pursue it. Once they retire and the kids are out of the house, they finally have the time to pursue their passions. Time to finally pursue the piano.

The one thing that most adults have in common

No matter which type they are, most adult students have one thing in common.

They all took lessons when they were a kid and quit way too early.

Their parents made them take lessons and they hung in for a few years, but eventually, they quit to pursue other things. They got bored or distracted, as kids tend to do, and they never came back to the piano.

Most adult students say they wish they never quit taking lessons. Some of them say that it is one of the biggest regrets of their life. I have had this conversation time and time again.

I guess I tell you all this for two reasons.

If you have kids, make them take piano lessons.

Make your kids take piano lessons. And make them stick to it for a while. Kids will whine and complain, they will want to quit, they will want to try other things. But I guarantee you, when they grow up, they will regret quitting. They will wish they had stuck it out. One of the best gifts you can give your kids is the gift of music. I promise, they will thank you for it one day.

The second reason I tell you all this is if any of these adult types sound like you, it is not too late to take piano lessons. It is never too late to learn something new. Matter of fact, taking piano lessons as an adult is such a rewarding experience. When you are an adult, you are there because you want to be not because you have to be. Suddenly, learning the piano becomes fun and exciting. It is a totally different experience as an adult.

Your goals change too as an adult. Suddenly, just being able to sit down and play a few songs on the piano sounds like an amazing way to spend an evening. And it is.

Whether you have taken lessons before or not, that goal is not as far away as you think. You have all that it takes to get there. All you have to do is get started.

It’s never too late

It’s so easy to think about doing something. To dream and say “that would be really cool.” But it’s a whole other thing to do it. And once you decide to take action, your whole world changes. Life opens up. Hope comes alive and you see a whole new world of possibility for yourself.

You are never too old to take piano lessons. If you are breathing, you need to keep pushing yourself to do new things. A whole world is waiting for you if you are just willing to push on through to the other side.

Which adult are you? Are you paralyzed by fear or are you willing to take some action? No matter which one you are, we would love to talk to you about it. And when you are ready, so are we.