The joy of discovering music later in life
"I've always wanted to learn to play the fiddle, but I'm probably too old now."
I've heard some version of that sentence more times than I can count over my 45 years of teaching music. Sometimes it's the fiddle, sometimes guitar, mandolin, or another instrument. The person saying it might be 40, 55, 70, or older.
My response is usually pretty simple: Why not now?
Somewhere along the way, we've developed this peculiar notion that learning a musical instrument is something you're supposed to do as a child. If you didn't start taking lessons in elementary school, or if you played for a few years and then stopped, you've somehow missed your opportunity.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Adults Make Wonderful Music Students
Children have certain advantages when learning music, but adults bring something equally valuable to the experience: a lifetime of listening.
Think about all the music you've heard over the years. The songs you grew up with, the records you played until they wore out, the concerts you attended, the tunes you associate with particular people and places.
All of that is musical experience, even if you've never held an instrument.
Adults also tend to have a clearer idea of what they want to accomplish. A twelve-year-old might be taking violin lessons because a parent thought it would be a good idea. A sixty-year-old taking mandolin lessons is probably there because they've wanted to play one for years.
That kind of motivation is a wonderful thing.
You don't have to learn music the same way a child does, and you certainly don't have to measure your progress against someone who started playing at age six.
You're bringing an entirely different set of experiences to the instrument.
What If I Haven't Played in Thirty Years?
Then welcome back!
Many adults come to lessons having played an instrument earlier in life. Perhaps you took piano lessons as a child, played guitar in college, or spent a few years in the school orchestra before life took you in another direction.
Jobs, families, responsibilities, and the ordinary business of living have a way of filling up our time.
One day you realize that the guitar has been sitting in its case for twenty years.
Picking it up again can feel a little strange at first. Your fingers may not remember everything they once knew, and the tunes that used to come easily might require some work.
But you'd be surprised how much musical knowledge remains.
More importantly, you're not starting from where you left off. You're returning with decades of additional listening, experience, and perspective.
And this time, you get to decide what you want to play.
You Don't Have to Become a Professional Musician
This is something I wish more adults understood.
You don't need to prepare for an audition, earn a music degree, perform in public, or become the best player in your neighborhood to justify taking music lessons.
You can learn simply because you enjoy it.
Maybe you'd like to play a few Irish tunes on the fiddle. Perhaps you've always loved bluegrass and want to learn enough mandolin to participate in a local jam. Maybe you'd like to accompany yourself singing folk songs on the guitar.
Those are perfectly good musical ambitions.
Some students enjoy the discipline of working through challenging repertoire. Others are happiest learning a new tune every few weeks and gradually building a collection of music they can play for their own enjoyment.
There's room for all of it.
After more than four decades of teaching, I believe one of the most important things an instructor can do is help students discover their own relationship with music, rather than impose someone else's expectations on them.
But Aren't Adults Slower Learners?
Sometimes. Sometimes not.
Children may acquire certain physical skills more readily, but adults often have advantages in concentration, analytical thinking, musical understanding, and the ability to connect new ideas with previous experiences.
The challenge for many adult students isn't age. It's expectations.
We tend to be terribly impatient with ourselves.
An adult who has spent thirty years becoming competent at a profession can feel surprisingly uncomfortable being a beginner again. We're accustomed to knowing what we're doing, and suddenly we're struggling to make a clean sound on a violin or change between two guitar chords.
That's perfectly normal.
Learning an instrument involves developing unfamiliar physical coordination, listening carefully, making adjustments, and gradually building confidence.
Nobody sounds wonderful on the first day.
Give yourself permission to be a beginner. It's actually rather liberating.
The Importance of Playing With Other Adults
One of the things I encourage my students to do is find opportunities to make music with other people.
Private lessons provide individual attention, help establish good technique, and allow us to work toward personal musical goals. But playing with others introduces an entirely different dimension to learning.
You begin listening differently. You learn to follow another musician, maintain a rhythm, accompany a melody, and contribute to something larger than your own playing.
And you meet people!
For adults, particularly those who are retired, working from home, or simply looking for something enjoyable outside their usual routines, a musical community can become an important part of life.
You don't have to be an accomplished musician to participate. A few chords, a simple melody, or a steady rhythm can be enough to get started.
I've spent much of my musical life playing with other musicians, from classical chamber music to traditional sessions and bluegrass bands. Some of the most enjoyable experiences I've had weren't formal performances at all. They were informal gatherings where people brought their instruments, shared tunes, learned from one another, and enjoyed an afternoon of music.
That's an experience I'd love every student to have.
Learning From Home
Sweet Music Studio currently offers private instruction online through Google Meet, making it possible to learn without traveling to a studio.
I teach violin and fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and double bass, working with students from complete beginners through experienced players.
Lessons are personalized around your musical interests, experience, and goals.
For students who want to explore music beyond their individual lessons, our 60-minute private lesson program also includes complimentary access to our virtual group classes.
Our group classes are hosted through YouTube at 5:00 PM Eastern Time:
| Day | Class |
|---|---|
| Monday | Mandolin |
| Wednesday | Klezmer |
| Thursday | Celtic |
| Friday | Bluegrass |
You can find us at:
https://www.youtube.com/@sweetmusic413
These sessions offer opportunities to explore new repertoire, develop musical skills, and prepare for the enjoyment of playing with other people.
So, When Should You Start?
I've known people who began learning instruments as young children and others who didn't start until well into retirement.
The common thread among those who continue playing isn't the age at which they started. It's that they found something in music worth returning to.
You don't need an expensive instrument, extraordinary talent, or hours of free time every day.
You need a little curiosity, some patience, and a willingness to make a few terrible noises before the good ones start coming along.
And perhaps a sense of humor. That helps considerably!
If you've spent years telling yourself that you'd love to learn an instrument someday, consider making someday a little sooner.
The best time to learn an instrument may have been forty years ago.
The second-best time is today.
Interested in getting started? Visit the Sweet Music Studio Contact page to inquire about private lessons.
I'd love to help you begin.
Adam Sweet
Sweet Music Studio
Granby, Massachusetts
