Here at Eighty-Eight Keys we highly value setting expectations early which helps to set up your piano students for success as much as possible. A particular class in this is piano students that take up the piano late in life. First of all, prospective students will often ask us 'Is it too late for me to take up the piano?', which immediately sets the expectation that they are at a disadvantage to another student and/or sets them up for failing instead of trying.  

Thus, we've outlined a few points below that you can share with your adult students, that will give them a reason to believe in their success and a realistic take on what piano lessons involve. 

1.  Firstly, piano lessons are a mentally challenging leisure activity that have been known to keep the brain young. A misconception that we hear all the time is that brains of adults can't learn as fast or as easily as brains of younger students, which act more like sponges. In fact, your brain can still form connections at any age, and in fact it's encouraged to exercise your brain as much as your body. The piano challenges your cognitive reasoning and boosts memory abilities. 
   
   
2. Old skills return quickly - along with the question 'Is it too late for me to take up the piano', we also come across the questions 'Can I take back up the piano?'.  Yes, in fact, if you did dabble in piano or music making in your youth then this –like riding a bike– will come back to you very quickly.  However, if you are starting from scratch... 
   
   
3. The piano is a relatively easy instrument to begin. The barrier to entry for piano playing is a lot less than a string, brass or wind instrument.  You can very quickly play a simple piece with relatively little effort, which can ensure that you get enjoyment out of this instrument faster than you would many others. 
   
   
4.  Piano playing has been linked to a reduction in stress it has also been known to substantially alleviate anxiety. If you are suffering from a hectic of anxiety filled life, taking up a hobby like this can really help give you the time to concentrate on something very different and to give you time out.  However, if you are in this time in your life, we also need to advise you to make sure that you have the time for a new hobby: 
   
   
5. Practice makes perfect and we can't stress enough that the biggest downfall we see to older learners is the lack of time management and practice. There's no parent to ask you if you've done your practice, and while you're juggling a full time job, three kids and/or other other commitments, we can only imagine how this can get in the way of new hobby. When you ask us 'Is it too late for me to take up piano'?, we will be asking you, 'Do you have the time to commit to taking up the piano', because like a lot of things in life, if you have the motivation and the time, there is very little that you cannot do. 

We hope these points help you to set expectations with your prospective piano students.  Alongside this, we also believe in setting up expectations with your students about practicing. 'How much should I be practicing?', 'How can I do better at piano practice?' before they start their piano lessons. Download our free Practising CheckList below –part of our piano teaching resources– and you can ask your students to check this off before they start their lessons: