I can’t tell you how often someone comes into our piano showroom, runs his or her hand lovingly over a beautiful new piano, and says, “I wish I had learned how to play the piano when I was younger.”
I understand the sentiment. I, too, wish I had learned to play the piano when I was younger. It is a wonderful instrument with an incredible range of “voices” and untold possibilities. But, as a student, I migrated to the saxophone. But the lure of the keyboard remained.
So now I am finally doing something about it. At the advanced age of… well, never mind how old I am. Let’s just say that I am no longer a child. But I am finally taking piano lessons.
In fact, there is an incredibly powerful movement across the country among adults who are either returning to the piano after an absence of many years, or taking up the instrument for the first time. The stigma of being “too old” to learn a skill like playing the piano no longer applies.
At M. Steinert & Sons we have started several programs for returning piano student or new student of “advanced” age. Our students range from retirees to young professionals, empty-nest mothers to couples sharing a new experience. It is a real melting pot!
The best part is that many, if not most, of our older piano students are taking group classes. What was once viewed as a solitary and isolated learning process has become socially interactive and — dare I say it — fun.
Apparently, the answer to the question at the start of this post is, “No.” You are NEVER too old to learn something new, even when that “something” is playing the piano.
If you are interested in resuming your piano education, or in starting anew, check out the class schedule on the M. Steinert & Sons web site (http://www.msteinert.com).
Brendan Murphy
