Music Lessons for Older Adults

It's never too late to start learning a musical instrument!

The benefits of learning an instrument for older adults include:

• Develops motor coordination skills/muscle memory.
• It's a social activity; playing music with others means being part of a team, and sharing goals.
• Playing and listening to music in a mindful state can relieve stress.
• Music is “exercise for the brain.” Taking music lessons with the right instructor, and playing an instrument, will help keep your mind sharp as you age.

Jazz from the 20's on a Ukulele? Rock Drumming? Folk Music on the Guitar? Blues? Rock a funky bassline? My older adult students are trying new things.

I've worked with older adults on all the instruments that I teach.

• For example, I had a female student that took Ukulele lessons. She requested and learned jazz standards from the 20's and 30's.
• I've had older adults learn rock drums. Guitar is always popular. I'd like to encourage more adults to try Bass Guitar and hand drums.
• I'm very good at working with beginners. My adults students have described me as "a very patient instructor."

After you learn how musicians use sound to suggest different emotions, and you learn to count musical time in a song, you'll never listen to music the same way again. In other words, learn music theory and you'll increase your enjoyment of live and recorded music.

Which Type of Instrument Do You Want to Play?

Stringed Instrument: Guitar,   Bass Guitar,  and Ukulele. Playing a stringed instrument is a fun, tacticle experience. You can slide on the strings, bend the strings, "hammer-on" and "pull-off."

Percussion Instrument: such as a Hand-Drum, or the full Drum Kit. Slap, tap, bounce, and roll on the membrane of a drum. Hear and feel the drum resonate with each beat. Develop coordination between the hands and feet. Drums have been used for human communication since the dawn of humanity.

The Science behind Adults that Learn Music

Want to know more? Check out this book:

Guitar Zero. The New Musician and the Science of Learning, by Gary Markus.

• Mr. Markus began guitar at the age of 40.
• He is a cognitive scientist.
• He debunks the myth that older adults can't effectively learn the new skill of playing a musical instrument.
• The key is self evaluation, and to break the task into smaller, more manage goals. These goals should be challenging enough; neither too easy, nor too hard.

Here's an interesting review of the book.

A Lesson Designed for You

Each week, my custom-designed lessons will challenge you, with about 3 new goals that build on what you know, helping you succeed.

With time, you will see how these parts fit together, like a puzzle.