I have my own particular theory as to why retirees and older people can be quite hesitant at taking the plunge and finally learning to play the piano.
We live in a society that glorifies youth. Don’t get me wrong, I am not against young people – they can have so much optimism and energy, but it seems as soon as people hit the age of 40 they are considered past it. There is very little respect of the older generations and the wisdom they have obtained. It seems to me that older people can often be relegated to the scrap heap of life.
I have held this opinion since I was young because I had the opportunity to visit Japan for 10-14 days. It wasn’t long but it was enough to observe that even on the streets of Tokyo, how much the older generations were respected and revered.
Our western culture, or maybe its just an Australian thing, but I don’t believe retirees or older are given much respect. It might be subtle and you might be used to it, but I truly think that the younger generations don’t appreciate you and that is communicated in all sorts of subtle ways.
I don’t wonder why retirees and older are nervous about learning to play the piano or learning any other new skill. Unfortunately, if a person is told something long enough, even if it is not true, will end up believing it.
This is what I think about the baby boomer generation and older – you have lived and learned along the way. You have been through good times and really difficult times. You have experienced loss through losing family members and friends and then come out the other side. You have been tough and resilient, whether you wanted to or not and you have had to learn and adapt all along the way.
You have all that you need to learn to play the piano – the desire, the openness to learn something and the knowledge of what is actually required to become successful at learning something new. Do not let the naysayers convince you that you can’t do it – they lie – you most certainly can learn to play the piano, even if you are not ‘young’.