Is It Too Late to Learn an Instrument?

Countless times in my career as a private music teacher I’ve gotten the question, “Is it too late for me to learn an instrument?”

My reply has always been, “No, it’s not.”

Many fear that if they didn’t learn an instrument as a child, it’s just too late. That is a huge misconception.

It’s a Lifelong Process to Learn an Instrument

There are so many things adults can learn. When leaving high school, the biggest step in life as an official “adult” is choosing a college or trade school and doing the necessary study to reach the goal of gaining a profession. Then, depending on the career path, one has to continue to learn new things to stay relevant in work. All of those times, “learning” is occurring.

It’s true, children’s minds are like blank tablets, and those blank tablets can soak up information easily. But from my experience (having taught children instruments as young as 4 or 5 years old), kids can learn an instrument just as slowly as adults. But if they’ve been taking lessons for all 12 years of their schooling, they will have had all that time to develop. It then comes down to time investment.

Many of my past adult students, especially senior citizens, fret over the time they have lost by not starting sooner. Such was the case with a current student of mine:

I took piano lessons from when I was 6 years old to the age of 12. Needless to say, at that young age, I didn’t put my heart and soul into the process of learning. I hated to practice, so I quit before becoming as proficient as I could have. As I grew older I realized that my waste of this effort should not have happened.

As the example above showcases, many children don’t know what they want, so may not enjoy, or even resent, the learning process. Determination to learn an instrument is half the battle. I have witnessed from some of my long-time adult students that if you want something badly enough, there is a path to achieving it.

No Promises the Path Will Be Easy

Each individual has his or her unique challenges to overcome to learn an instrument. The challenges may be mental (your mind or memory may not be as “sharp” as it used to be) or physical (why won’t my fingers do what I want them to?).

I’ve worked for years with a female banjo student in her 60s, and she has short-term memory issues. She has excellent sight-reading skills, but ask her to memorize something, and it’s a resounding, “No, I can’t.” Other students have a difficult time reading music or learning new concepts. I had one student who would explain, “I have to go home and process this. I get what you’re saying, but I need to soak it in.”

I find, too, that mind blocks are a frequent issue I face with adult students. They tend to get very down on themselves if they don’t understand something as quickly as they think they should, can’t play as fast as they want to, or can’t find enough time to practice in a week. Mind blocks can lead to an adult student quitting. The student ultimately must push through the mental resistance to reach a set goal.

To learn an instrument, there are also physical challenges involved, namely in the fingers. You have to train your fingers to operate in a way they’ve never done before. And fingers can be stubbornly stiff! I’ve had some senior students who battled other issues like trembling fingers (due to health conditions or prescription medications) or arthritis. These challenges are real, and not easy to overcome.

As one student stated, “At my age, it is hard to get your mind to process what it needs to pair the music notes or chords from the print to sound. And to get your fingers to ‘do the walking’ as the old saying goes. Those fingers are slower in the beginning but as I found out, the more practice that I do, the better the fingers respond.”

A good teacher will give the student exercises to help the fingers become more limber and train them to move in the way needed.

The Benefits of Learning an Instrument

These days, many adults are taking up instruments, especially during their retirement years, because they have the time necessary to dedicate to them. That lifelong desire to create music for their personal enjoyment can finally be realized. One of my students expressed:

“I’ve learned that I can overcome adversity and have patience with myself because, at my age (71), it takes longer to get everything to work out like the notes on the sheet music states. Now here I am, four years later, still learning, facing the challenges, and having fun. I don’t plan on being a rock star but I’m enjoying this time in my life and have no plans to quit soon.”

There are many cognitive benefits tied to when you learn an instrument as well. The structure of music, from reading notes on a page to the theory behind chords and scales, is mathematical. Doing anything that stimulates the brain is beneficial to brain health.

“‘There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,’ says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. ‘If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.’”

Don’t Let Fear Be Your Guide

If learning a musical instrument has been on your bucket list for some time, don’t allow those fears over age or other obstacles to get in the way. Decide that you can try something new and that your determination can create your path forward. Learn to make music!

Ready to learn an instrument now?