When considering taking music lessons as adults, we often talk ourselves out of it before we even start. Learn common myths about taking music lessons as an adult and how to combat them here.
Learning to play the flute, clarinet, or saxophone is a rewarding pursuit at any age, but our culture puts a lot of focus on fostering talent in youth. It makes it easy to feel like if you haven't been playing the flute since you were 5 or if you didn't pursue music at a professional level by the time you graduated college that you've missed the boat. Perhaps you took lessons as a child and stopped, and you look back thinking "if only I'd kept taking lessons I wouldn't be so far behind by now". Well, we're here to tell you to stop that negative thinking right now, because there is hope! 😊
The truth is, you can pick up a new instrument at any age, and it's never too late to start! Often the barriers to our own success come down to our own perceived limitations, but we understand how defeating it can feel when surrounded by what feel like reminders of what you haven't accomplished or learned by now. It's totally normal to feel that way, but thankfully, you don't have to. Let's take a look at some common myths that hold adult music students back and how to challenge them to help you take the leap to the enriching world of music!
Myth #1 - It's Too Late to Start / I'm Too Old
The most common misconception adult music students internalize is the idea that they're too old to start taking lessons on a new instrument, or too old to learn to play an instrument well. These feelings of "it's too late for me" can be very deflating and cause people to not even give themselves the chance to find out what they could accomplish.
You've likely heard the inspirational stories about famous top-of-their-field professionals that got started "later in life" -- Julia Child didn't begin cooking until her 30s and didn't publish her first cookbook until she was 49. Samuel L. Jackson got his first major movie role at 49. Steve Carrell landed his career-launching role on The Office at 43. These are just a few celebrity examples, but there are countless other people who have started second (or third, or fourth!) careers and gone on to great success throughout their lives.
Now, this isn't to say that you have to have professional aspirations if you're interested in getting started as an adult music student! But in case the idea that you're "too old to learn something new" or that it's "too late to start" is holding you back, we hope you can find some reassurance with these examples.
Moreover, music is something that we innately enjoy and are drawn to as human beings, regardless of our age. You don't have to enroll in a stuffy conservatory program to experience the joy of music (or to get very good at it too, if that's your goal!). There have been numerous studies about the positive cognitive effects of music as we age, from supporting memory, to enhancing overall learning, to boosting mental health.
Whether you're 32 or 82, learning to play an instrument is a worthwhile endeavor that you can absolutely excel at with dedication and practice.
Myth #2 - Adult Beginner Music Students Can Only Ever Play "For Fun"
Another common misconception is that adult music lessons are designed strictly for enrichment only. We notice this is often the case in other disciplines as well - adult dance classes, adult art classes, adult sport leagues - often competitive or professional training programs are reserved for children and teenagers (or things like master classes for adults who already have degrees and established careers) and the assumption for adult beginners is that they must "only want to do it for a fun pastime". There's absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing music strictly for enjoyment (and we encourage it!), but if you have more professional aspirations and you're feeling discouraged from getting started because it feels like nobody will take you seriously, that's also a myth we're happy to bust.
While it's true that you may not see an abundance of adult music classes set up in a linear, progressive curriculum from absolute beginner to pro, it doesn't mean the opportunity isn't out there for you to take your playing as far as you'd like! You don't have to quit your job and bury yourself in debt to enroll full-time at music school to build expertise in music.
Working with a dedicated private woodwind teacher who can meet you where you are and who has taken their career to where you'd like yours to go can be an invaluable resource to you, both from a technique/skill-building perspective and a career-building perspective. With focus, dedication, and motivation, advanced musical skill can be well within your reach even if you're starting at absolute zero.
If you'd like to explore private music instruction or music career mentorship, contact Joe at Boston Woodwind Academy for a preliminary call to see if it might be a fit for you!
You don't have to quit your job and bury yourself in debt to enroll full-time at music school to build expertise in music.
Myth #3 - I Should Know How to Read Music First
Knowing how to read music can give you an advantage when you start taking music lessons as an adult, but is it a dealbreaker if you don't know how yet? Absolutely not! That's what taking lessons is for - to learn what you don't know yet! Also, as we mentioned, music is a very universal language and the propensity toward rhythm and melody is innate to us all as humans, so it's entirely possible to be an incredible musician (even a composer!) and not know how to read a single note on the page.
In fact, many musicians you may be familiar with either didn't know how to read music when they got started in their careers, or never ended up learning to read music at all. Here are just a few names you might recognize:
Jimi Hendrix
Dave Grohl
Stevie Wonder
Paul McCartney and John Lennon
Eddie Van Halen
Freddie Mercury
Hans Zimmer
Danny Elfman
Eric Clapton
and others!
Are you surprised by some of the names on that list?
While learning to read music can expand your horizons as a musician, it's not a prerequisite to getting started or to playing an instrument well. You may be interested in learning how to improvise on saxophone, for example, or play some of your favorite solos by ear. Both ear training and sight-reading skills are things you can develop in private music lessons with a teacher.
Myth #4 - I'm Already Good at Piano/Guitar/Another Instrument, so I should Instantly Be Good at Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone
This is a big one. The trap of perfectionism and fear of embarrassment that can come up when making mistakes is a big hurdle that adult students feel held back by.
Young children live their daily lives making mistake after mistake after mistake - failure and learning is a constant normal process for them as they get acclimated to the world, so they don't get nearly as self-conscious! As we grow and gain more skills and autonomy in our lives, we tend to craft our lives and careers in ways that serve the things we're good at and that positively reinforce the skills we've built. As we get further away from that uncomfortable experience of making a lot of mistakes while we learn something new, the experience of "being bad at" something can feel extra painful for adults. We get so used to doing the things we're good at, when we encounter something unfamiliar, we expect to immediately be good at that too, and when we aren't, we can take it super personally.
Adult music students are extra hard on themselves.
It's not uncommon for adult music students to apologize after playing a wrong note in a lesson, or to blush, or even tear up if they start getting frustrated with themselves, afraid they "look stupid" to the teacher.
"I should be able to do this!"
"I understand how this works but I can't get my hands to do it!"
"I know how I want it to sound and I can't get it to sound right!"
"Gahh, sorry. Ugh I screwed up again. I'm never going to get this..."
These are all very common exclamations that emerge from the adult lesson room when learning the flute, saxophone, or clarinet. The fear of seeming incompetent or anticipating that feeling of embarrassment can cause a lot of adult students to decide not to take lessons, or to back out when things feel challenging. Please know these are super normal feelings to have, AND they don't mean that you're hopeless, 'bad at' music, or that you shouldn't try.
In light of these feelings, signing up for music lessons as an adult is an act of courage! Having an open-minded attitude when you take lessons and trusting a patient and understanding teacher will go a long way to help you feel excited about what you can achieve, rather than hyper-focusing on mistakes.
Work on accepting that in order to learn an instrument, you'll absolutely make mistakes while you're forming new neural pathways, and that making mistakes is actually a sign that you're making progress. It means you're pushing up against a growth edge and learning something new, and that's something to celebrate!
Myth #5 - I'm Too Busy to Practice / I Don't Have Time to Learn to Play an Instrument
Children's lives are often scheduled down to the minute, with school, after-school activities, play dates, homework, and a set bedtime. As adults, things aren't always so cut-and-dry, and it's very easy to feel like we're already juggling so much with our lives-- from work, to social engagements, outside-of-work activities, meal planning, and, if we are guardians for any children, also managing their schedules and likely taking them to all of their activities. It can feel like there isn't a moment to spare when you finally plop down exhausted at the end of the day with the Netflix menu open in front of you. The last thing you probably feel like doing at that point is pulling out your instrument to practice, so it can be easy to talk yourself out of lessons because you don't think you'll have time.
This is where a little tough love comes in -- no matter how busy we get, we always manage to find time for the things we prioritize. Historically, maybe that's looked like making sure you get to the gym to blow off some steam before work every morning, or taking an after-dinner walk each night with your sweetheart. If learning an instrument is important to you, and you feel excited about it, you'll naturally find a little time to practice.
Notice we said 'a little', and 'excited'! This is where the teamwork of you and your music teacher is super important:
When you start music lessons, you're going to be feeling really excited and super motivated. You'll be imagining all of the possibilities and things you'll learn, and you likely have a (literally) shiny new instrument in your hands to play with. This all fuels that sweet, sweet dopamine and you'll probably be practicing like crazy and skipping into your lessons for the first few weeks. You will magically find the time, even if you're usually busy (so funny how that works!).
Once things start feeling more like a routine, though, and once you start hitting a growth edge where things suddenly start feeling more challenging (see myth 4 above!), you may feel like you just don't know how you suddenly got soooo much busier! The day will go by and you'll realize you forgot to practice. Then another day might go by, and another, and it starts feeling like a weight, and the guilt sets in about not having practiced, fueling how difficult it is to get yourself to practice the next day, and the next, until lesson day comes and you feel like you have your tail between your legs because you didn't practice, and now it all doesn't feel so fun anymore.
Truthfully, any new skill worth building is going to require some perseverance. There may be days where you feel bored, frustrated, or like you want to throw in the towel. Accepting that these are normal ways to feel when learning something new can help you set appropriate expectations for yourself and keep yourself on track even in phases when motivation wanes. And the good thing is, when you practice effectively, you don't have to practice for very long (like 20-30 minutes!) and the practicing you do will help you see concrete results, which will help fuel continued motivation and that excitement to keep going.
At Boston Woodwind Academy, we teach students how to practice smarter, not longer, to help prevent these moments of discouragement or lulls in motivation, and we always focus on the progress you're making to help keep you engaged and excited to come to your lesson. Maintaining open communication about how you're feeling and what you're struggling with helps your teacher to course-correct so that taking lessons can continue to be an enjoyable thing for you, no matter how busy your schedule gets.
The adult music student myths don't stop here!
These five myths you just read through are just a handful of the many misconceptions that stop potential adult music students from following their curiosity and signing up for music lessons. Who knows the amazing musicians that could be lying dormant because fear got in the way! Now that you're aware of these myths and have seen how to challenge them, we hope that this can help you to question your own apprehensions and take the leap toward giving yourself the gift of musical exploration, no matter your age or current skill level.
Interested in taking woodwind lessons as an adult? We can help!
We understand how anxiety-inducing it can be to get yourself to finally take the leap and start taking lessons as an adult. One of our top priorities is helping to create a learning environment where students can feel comfortable, wherever they're at in their musical journey and whatever their ultimate goals, to be open to learning, and to embrace making mistakes. Whether you're looking to pick up the flute, saxophone, clarinet (or another woodwind!) for fun, or want to build a professional-level musical skillset, we're here to help you learn to play music in the styles and at the pace that works for you. Schedule an introductory lesson today to get started.
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