When people contact me to inquire about starting piano lessons with me, they often say "I'm just doing this for my own enjoyment," to which I reply, "what other reason is there?"
All of my students are adults. Some are total beginners, and many are returning to the piano after an absence. Either way, it is quite clear to them that they aren't going to become concert pianists or make a career of music. This is virtually impossible. (I say "virtually" because there was the case of a man who was a doctor by profession, was struck by lightning on the golf course, and when he woke up in the hospital he had an overwhelming desire to devote his life to music. He became a composer and conductor with a succesful career. But I'm sure you don't want to be struck by lighting to achieve this result for yourself!)
Having fun is goal number one. Yes it's going to be work and effort to make progress and play really well. There are days that will be frustrating and even discouraging. But it will all be ultimately worth it if the majority of the time you find it to be FUN.
Hearing a piece of music come to life under your hands can be very exciting. Opening up a page of music and playing it through is very gratifying. Improvising and/or playing with others can be a great experience. So what are the things that prevent your piano studies from being fun? Here are the main ones.
1. Turning your practice sessions into drudgery. Many people believe that drudgery, endless repetition, and grueling or boring exercises are just part of the territory in learning to play the piano. Not true!! Playing scales, arpeggios or other "finger exercises" for hours is not the way to learn, and certainly not the way to learn to play with emotion and expression. Yet many teachers still will tell their students to do these things. Some repetition is needed, but it must be very targeted to solve an actual problem.
2. Having too limited a "diet." A woman came to see me last week who had been studying piano on and off for several years. She told me she had played almost all the Clementi Sonatinas, as well as some Haydn and Mozart, but not much else. Nothing written in the last 200 years. Since she didn't know anything else, she may not realize what potential fun she is missing out on. But someday she may realize it, and then it will be lot of time lost. In addition to a wide range of classical music, I urge my students to also play some jazz, pop, and Broadway, as well as to improvise. All of these will make you a better pianist, not to mention being fun.
3. Adherence to a rigid method or routine. There are a large number of "methods" (e.g. Suzuki) or curriculums (e.g. ABRSM -- Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music), and others developed by schools or individuals, too numerous to list here. In Suzuki there must be a strict following of the methods and there is no room for individual differences. In APRSM, there is a curriculum of exercises and pieces which must be practiced and learned in the prescribed order, followed by exams which must be passed before moving on. I really believe this is absurd. Every student is different. Some have a good ear but can't sight-read, others the reverse. Some have good coordination but cannot play with emotion, others the reverse. I find some students keep practicing things they can already do reasonably well, just out of habit, but then ignore other aspects of playing because no one "told" them to do it. I tailor all my lessons to each individual, working more on their weaker areas, but still continuing to improve their stronger ones. Most importantly, all students do not play the exact same music. Before assigning a piece, I want to make sure they enjoy the sound of it. If not, we choose something else that will develop the same skills. You wouldn't expect a doctor to give the same exact medical advice to every patient. Learning to play the piano is not a "one-size-fits-all." Following a rigid plan or schedule makes it easier for the teacher because they don't have to put a lot of thought into each lesson, but it's not better for the student.
4. Bad teachers. By this I mean a teacher who insists you do all of the above mentioned items. Or it could just be the teacher is cold, critical, un-caring, or seems bored with teaching. Or they could be un-professional, unrealiable (e.g. cancelling a lot of lessons). Some are just unqualified: they can't play well themselves and can neither demonstrate nor explain the many aspects of music theory, technique, etc., and wave their students' concerns off with statements like "you don't really need to know that." I have had many students describe their previous teachers as doing all of the above. The relationship with the teacher is critically important. The teacher must be very invested in the student's progress, yet also kind and caring. They need to be "friendly" but not be "casual" about the lessons or expect you to be their friend. Sadly, there are a great number of incompetent and un-kind teachers out there.
I'm sorry if I paint a bleak picture. Of course there are many excellent teachers as well. But sometimes the student has to kiss a lot of frogs before finding the prince.
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