(For Part 1 of this series, visit Adult RMM Lessons – Part 1)
So what motivates adults to start piano lessons? I posed this question to the five students I interviewed and here’s what they had to say:
Ginger says, “It’s been wonderful!” Isn’t that great to hear? And did you catch Ginger also say that she was always “afraid to go near the piano” because she was intimidated by others in her family who she felt were more musical than her? You will hear more from Ginger throughout this series. I think you will be amazed at how much she loves playing, and how far she has come from when she was afraid to go near the piano.
You probably also noticed that they almost all mentioned retirement. They picked up piano when they were near retirement or beginning retirement. Piano is a hobby to fill their time. Not all of my adult students are retired, but a large portion are.
Statistics show that 10,000 baby boomers retire every day. Today’s 65 year olds should expect to live until they are 84, that’s almost 20 years of free time to fill! The US Census Bureau predicts that the senior population will be larger than the under-18 population for the first time in U.S. history in 2035. This is a huge pool of potential students that we should be tapping in to. And what does retired mean? They can come in the daytime! Teachers are always looking for ways to fill those hours before 3:30, retired adults can do that!
I also want to take note of what Ellen said, that she felt like she needed structure so that she could improve. You will see in the next few videos that adults do want to improve. They usually realize that they need the help of an experienced teacher to see the improvement they are looking for.
Stay tuned for Part 3 next week!
Author: Spring
Spring Seals, NCTM, teaches 60 piano students ranging from age 3 to 70 in Fort Worth, Texas. She also serves as the Director of Certification for TMTA. She is passionate about helping teachers become more effective in their studios through professional development, new resources, and fresh ideas.