Learning piano as an adult with LUMI Keys

For most people, the older we get, the more we convince ourselves that chances to learn new skills are lost. We quickly shift from the phase of becoming "old enough" for certain experiences and skills, to instead outlawing ourselves as "too old" for life’s greatest gifts. This is especially true of our hobbies, such as attending festivals, studying in all forms, and creating art.

Right at the top of this list is one of the most versatile forms of art-making: playing a musical instrument. Let’s debunk that myth together, and make the case for piano to be that instrument for you.

Debunking the myth of being "too old" to learn

You might be more specifically asking yourself these kinds of questions – Am I too old for piano lessons? Have I lost my chance to pursue music beyond just being a fan? The answer is no; despite older age, we as adult learners hold a range of benefits which are often overlooked. For example, as adults, our musical taste has grown over time, and we've likely learned a little something about discipline.

That said, it's impossible to address this topic without recognizing that developing piano skills as a child comes with its advantages. In childhood, we benefit from a more impressionable mind, which makes things like language and music (a form of language) stick more quickly.

Without this benefit, it can feel easy to give up on the prospect altogether. Once you land on that question of "am I too old to learn piano?", the feeling of being too late to learn piano is in strong pursuit. But it does not have to be this way, and it's never too late to start learning. Rather, we should ask ourselves, what other words are implied by being "too old" to do something.

What do we mean, exactly, when we say too old? Is it:

🎹 Too old to start anything, let-alone start playing an instrument

🎹 Too old to make progress at the rate you want with a skill

🎹 Too old to completely master that skill

🎹 Too old to display/perform what you’ve created

🎹 Too old to redefine how you or others see you

In addition to the above, what stops us from pursuing our musical learning goals might simply be a fear of being embarrassed, or of learning too slowly. There are a lot of unnecessary worries that arise when older adults start learning piano. While you may wish you had started earlier, or be frustrated that you can't learn faster when you start learning piano as an adult, it's never a reason to stop learning. We at LUMI are here to tell you that it is never too late.

Benefits of learning piano in adulthood

While the learning might not be as swift, and your available time certainly looks different, there are a number of exciting advantages to learning to play the piano as an adult. For adult beginners, these include:

🎹 More agency in what songs you aspire to learn and how your learning is structured. You need not only learn classical music, which you would groan to your parents about! Your musical journey is in your hands, with a keyboard below them.

🎹 Community-building as a tool for connecting with others learning the instrument (virtually or in-person), or having a conversation-starter with pianists performing in your community. In a world where many adults struggle with making friends, learning piano serves as a fun tool to remedy that.

🎹 Health benefits such as improved motor function, brain plasticity, and memory. Learn more through this list and many others out there.

Through all the points in this article, you'll notice that the underlying theme is perspective. By looking at why we can learn something rather than why we can’t or shouldn’t, it can be the freeing step we need to hop on the keys.

And then? See what happens. Maybe you'll meet a piano teacher, or take your piano journey into your own hands. Maybe you'll start playing in public. Maybe you'll learn your favorite song or begin to understand music theory. What matters beyond checking a specific box is that, for once in our adult lives, playing the piano can inspire us to finally avoid overprescribing. We can trust in our practice routine and the magic of the piano, rather than only learning through our existing life experience.

Plus, at the end of the day, this idea is even baked into the verbs we use. When describing our relationships to musical instruments in many languages, we phrase it as "to play." Not to discuss, to debate, or to catch the business lunch deal, but simply, play.

Embracing the beginner’s mindset

So, how can we as adults learn piano or other musical instruments through the act of play?

One lesson can be taken from the concept entitled 'The Beginner’s Mind'. As children, we more naturally embrace this famous text by Shunryu Suzuki in the 1970s, which was later applied to guitar playing in the 90s.

In being one of the first to bring Buddhist thinking to the West, Suzuki was able to emphasize a crucial detail about how we approach adulthood: we become less curious, more structured, and less patient. This enables us to achieve certain successes in adult life, but can come at a cost. We make the idea of learning more difficult on ourselves, as learning something new as an adult needs to make sense with logic. By building this logic through our experiences, rather than just existing to become clear in time.

By removing judgement or being overly prescriptive, we take pressure off ourselves. We can be less intimidated and break down barriers to learning when the goal is simply to remain curious and chase our interest. If you approach your journey of learning piano like this, from the very first song, it can make all the difference.

How to set your goals and expectations

We can’t, however, so quickly un-wire the brain to become closer to that of a child at play. While approaching learning with the beginner’s mind is important, we might also need some clear expectations and goals to learn to play the piano.

Here are some options which might work for you to start learning piano – we’re all adults here and life happens! So it’s possible that only some of these will help you to stay motivated in your piano journey.

🎹 Define your motivation to learn, with measurable milestones. Do you want to play a certain song? In front of people, or at a specific gathering? Do you want to write music, or learn how to listen to it differently?

🎹 Determine your learning method, i.e. by yourself, or with a teacher or group.

🎹 Determine your instrument, as we covered in our getting started guide. In particular, deciding between a traditional piano (your own, or one in a community space) or an electronic keyboard is important to think through. The piano today looked a lot different than it did when it was invented, and the decision of what type of instrument affects accessibility, what times and where you can play, and cost.**

🎹 Create a system of accountability. Set up practice time in your calendar, tell friends that you’re learning to make sure there are people asking you about it, or find other learners to keep motivation up and share your experience together.

🎹 Build in flexibility and compassion into your practice time. Your family might take priority one day, and a day off doesn’t mean you’re quitting. But as we and many others recommend, striving for at least a small amount of practice every day will heed the greatest results.

**When picking your first instrument, we believe that LUMI Keys with the accompanying, interactive learning app is the best method to do so today. While online lessons are available, LUMI Keys offers you full flexibility and comfort for your learning journey, so you can start practicing anywhere and whenever your schedule allows.

Piano as a lifelong hobby

The final point to take away today is that learning piano is not a phase. It is not suited to be an abandoned New Year's resolution. Rather, it is an experience that can evolve with you as you age, taking different shapes in how you connect and grow with it.

While we’ve covered a lot of information above, the first step is deciding, proclaiming even, that you are not too old to learn. This perspective will help guide you on each step in the process, and you’ll soon understand just why this instrument is so important to our humanity.