Working With Adult Piano Students

One of my most satisfying musical activities these days is teaching adult pianists. I enjoy watching their pianistic triumphs, big and small, at a time in life where, paradoxically, they can take their time progressing and enjoy the ride much more than younger learners. The Toronto Star's Susan Pigg recently wrote an article about Toronto-based piano teacher Clare Pengelly and her experiences working with the "big kids":

Commercial photographer Sid Tabak, 59, started taking lessons with Pengelly 16 years ago and was so nervous performing in front of others, he took beta blockers to ease his anxiety.

Eventually he figured out a few survival techniques, like don’t talk to yourself when you make a mistake — just keep playing because the real victory is having the guts to sit on the bench.

“It takes awhile to realize that your self-worth as a human being has nothing to do with how well or how poorly you play the piano.”

I had to chuckle when I read the passage about how adult pianists swear when they make mistakes in lessons - I often see the same thing.