Ever heard others saying that they are too old to learn something new? I’ve heard it many times, especially when it comes to music. It is such a common perception and belief (albeit flawed in my opinion) that one has to start learning musical instruments from a young age. And I wouldn’t blame them – society almost always glorifies those who have achieved XXX at a young age and the classical music scene is not an exception. We often see society celebrating the successes of gifted young artists and musical prodigies who have achieved exemplary performance standards at competitions, festivals, and recitals and they can be as young as 5 or 6. Yes, they are indeed very remarkable and it usually leads the rest of us to think about what we have been doing with our lives! At 6, I was just learning the piano for fun while trying to figure out what primary school was all about…
It is therefore so easy for us, the older ones, to doubt our abilities and be discouraged to embark on a musical journey. This issue rings deep within me as I only started learning the violin at the age of 16. I remember questioning myself repeatedly about my prospects when I was a violin major at 20 years old since everyone else was younger than me (around 16-17 years old and they all had started learning the violin at the ages of 4-6). Trust me, it took me quite some time to feel proud of my progress and to acknowledge my achievements to date.
Society doesn’t provide the same kind of support to late starters as opposed to kids and there is definitely some kind of ageism going on in the classical music world. The youngest players are always encouraged and given more opportunities. Why bother with the struggling adult when kids who aren’t even 16 years old can already perform the most difficult pieces? We also often see adult learners being put down by others especially in the early stages when they are just starting to play some open strings or a simple tune.
“Oh look, an adult trying to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! Hah! My kid is already learning concertos!”
“So old already and still want to learn new things!”
Contrast that with a kid playing the same Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and you’ll hear tons of encouragement.
“Wow son, that’s great! Keep it up!”
“Wow, she’s pretty good at this age!”
It’s great to be a kid isn’t it?
Of course, not everyone is like that. There are others out there who remain encouraging to late starters and I am very lucky to have music teachers, friends, and family members who have been extremely supportive of my musical dreams even though I started the violin at 16. I do not see why we cannot give the same kind of encouragement to our adult friends, especially when they are faced with more obligations that life throws at them!
Having taught adults violin and piano, I can definitely say that they have the ability to make music too. While late starters and adult learners may not be as flexible as kids, they make it up with determination, discipline, and critical thought. Adult learners are more willing to spend time to hone their craft and think of solutions to problems that they face in the practice room. Coordination and flexibility can be improved over time with practice and one needs to have patience along the way. It is not about talent! Even the most talented musicians have to spend hours to perform at a high level.
I hope that the perception of “being too old to learn music” will change someday. I believe that anyone who is interested in learning music should give it a shot. Even late starters can reach a high standard of playing as long as he/she doesn’t give up! There are successful musicians who started later than their colleagues although statistically it doesn’t seem very promising but that shouldn’t deter one from learning music. It boils down to practising. I too spent many hours practising and correcting bad habits which I had learnt earlier on, right down to how to hold the violin bow. If I can do it, so can you.
I always find it so important to give my adult learners the confidence that they need. The only thing that is stopping adult learners from reaching their full potential is themselves and the amount of self-doubt they have, possibly caused by society as well. And these must change.
That’s all for the topic on late starters for now.
Do leave a comment to let me know your thoughts.
~Vanessa