Is It Too Late To Learn How To Play The Violin?
Are you wondering if you are too old to play the violin? You have probably heard about child prodigies, and that professional players started at a very early age. That may be so (in some cases), but that shouldn’t keep you away from pursuing your dreams.
You don’t need to become the next superstar, but you can easily discover the joy of music making, no matter your age.
Learning and Childhood
Obviously, the earlier that you get to start your musical journey, the better. Children are basically learning machines, they will master everything they do repeatedly. Their brain is wired that way, every movement they perform will be perfected in a relatively short time, to help them survive their surroundings. That’s how they learn to walk, for example.
Young children, in theory, don’t need much structure to learn. Exposure and repetition are the key factors.
I say “in theory” because music is a complex field that requires more attention to small details than activities such as walking and running, and that’s a disadvantage to children. Music needs structure at a certain point, and a child will need motivation to stay engaged in their study. They don’t know what’s best for them, and they can get bored easily. Having said that, their natural curiosity can take them to make surprisingly deep discoveries on their own.
Learning for Adults
Adults learn in a similar way to children, with repetition, but with a major difference. Children can learn everything at the same time, their brain is completely open so they don’t need to be too picky. Adults, on the other hand, need to focus narrowly on what it is that they want to learn, and do it one thing at a time for best results. It’s a good thing that adults have the capability of reasoning, so they can choose what to do to reach their goals.
That is the most important part to learn to play violin (or to learn anything at all) as an adult. Having clear goals so you can walk the path to reach them. If you go step by step, you will reach the end of the way eventually.
Another huge advantage that an adult possesses is their previous experience. Maybe they know how to play another instrument, or maybe they even had violin lessons as a child themselves. The sheer amount of music exposure over a lifetime is a great resource from where their brain can pick information they didn’t know they had in their memory. Even without taking music into account, adults are more intelligent, and can deduce by themselves to reach their own conclusions.
Of course, the main drawbacks of an adult learner are the many obligations that they have, which can make it hard to schedule time for music exploration. That, combined with the frustration of not advancing quick enough have ended the musical journey of way too many people.
Anyone can learn, at any age. To overcome the problems that I talked about with adult learning, you just have to focus on your goals, and take the straighter path there. And what’s the best way to do that? Find a great violin teacher. They will help you reach your destination faster, and with ease, while also enjoying the journey. Don’t let frustration get the best of you and take a look at our violin teachers.
We also have violin teachers for kids, they know how to keep lessons fun so your child is engaged and is eager to learn music.