Adults Learn That It's Never Too Late to Play an Instrument

Mustering Up the Nerve to Pursue a New Hobby

A few piano lessons as a child never amounted to much except frustration over never being able to play like Elton John. Thirty years later, not having touched a key in quite some time, being able to play the piano is still a daily dream—except this time it’s not about Elton, it’s about you.

Whether it’s fulfilling a childhood dream or a teenage rock star fantasy, or simply picking up where you left off as a kid, many adults are finding the time to incorporate music making into their lives. And in a season for turning longtime wishes into new realities, now is the time.

“Making music is not only a creative outlet for adults, but a time to relax and de-stress,” says Laura Johnson, associate executive director of the American Music Conference (AMC), a leading music advocacy organization. “Besides, it’s fun and something to do for you.”

Indeed, the benefits of music making are vast. Besides the personal feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment, researchers have found that music making enhances mental acumen, and may help to ward off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. One study found that retirees who took keyboard lessons showed decreases in anxiety, depression and loneliness, and significantly on increased levels of human growth hormone.

After a long day working at the office and chauffeuring the kids around, Dr. Cliff Simonetti, an internist practicing in Westchester County, N.Y., winds down by playing the guitar. As a child, he played the saxophone and bassoon in his school band and at home with his two brothers. Eventually the trio formed a band, and Dr. Simonetti played his way through college and medical school. But adult life is when the music stopped.

“Music was such a major part of my life, but I had so many other things going on,” says Dr. Simonetti. “I simply couldn’t find the time to commit. It wasn’t until my oldest daughter began to take piano lessons that I realized I had to get back into playing. I took lessons for a while, but I just didn’t have enough time to practice or even make it to the lesson some weeks. I had to give it up. Now, after a long day, I sit in my study and play my guitar—without any pressure. I’m not looking to start up a band; it’s simply recreation for me.”

Dan Marshall, CEO of Marshall Music Company in Lansing, Mich. and a board member of NAMM, the International Music Products Foundation, finds his adult customers fall into three categories: those who sit on their back porches after work and play as a diversion from the day-to-day life stresses; those looking to engage in musical performance; and those interested in the enrichment factor. “The benefits of music making have really permeated a parents’ perspective on music education for their children,” says Marshall. “And I believe we’ll soon see more adults taking lessons as they become aware of music’s virtues.”

Marshall Music, like hundreds of other music retailers across the U.S., sponsors NAMMs adult music-making programs. “Weekend Warriors” is designed to get non-active musicians back into making music, and the New Horizons Band allows seniors to rekindle an old interest or learn a new instrument from scratch.

These programs are gaining momentum. The New Horizons Band program has been the most successful to date. Currently the program has more than 100 bands and orchestras and 5,000 members throughout the U.S. and Canada. According to Gary Ingle, executive director of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), “Whether it’s to fulfill a lifelong goal or to meet intellectual, physical and social needs no longer met in the workplace, more and more adults are finding time to rekindle their interest in music lessons.”

Furthermore, since adults are living longer, there have been significant changes in lifestyle. Life is now a blend of education, work and leisure all throughout, instead of education for the young, work for the middle-aged, and leisure for the elderly. Adults have different learning goals when it comes to music making—they know what they want to accomplish. Since they’re not required to be at lessons (at the orders of their parents), they are typically more motivated to learn. Many adults don’t have unattainable performing goals, but rather play for their own enjoyment.

Since adults have spent years attending concerts, listening to the music of their favorite artists, watching videos and mimicking the movements of their favorites rock stars in the mirror, their musical preferences are clear—which will make taking up that instrument all the more enjoyable.

--The American Music Conference is a national non-profit educational association dedicated to promoting the importance of music, music-making and music education to the general public. For more information, visit http://www.amc-music.org.