Adult students, or self-learners as they are sometimes called, make up a surprisingly large part of the musicteachers community. Working with adults brings a great deal of variety and humour to a teacher’s day but recently we have had some interesting conversations with teachers about some particular approaches which can really enhance both the student and the teaching experience.

Start Gently

As we get older, we spend less and less time outside of our comfort zone. Becoming a learner again, and taking up something new, can feel like huge undertakings for a new adult student. As a result, it’s not uncommon for your new student to come to you feeling anxious, especially during the first lesson. Be aware that it will take more time to get to know you and build up trust. Don’t expect to get playing straight away, have some open questions lined up to help you get to know the student and help them feel at ease. One teacher we spoke to asks a new adult student to suggest a piece of music they could listen to together. Listening and talking about music the student loves is a great way to quickly build a strong bond.

Right from the beginning, enforcing the idea of the cycle helps give the student the structure that will underpin their musical progress. Teacher-led instruction, practice or play at home, feedback, more instruction, more practice, and so it goes on. This conversation can help the student approach their learning with more patience than if they see just the first lesson ahead of them. In the office, we always recommend that an adult student tries 5 lessons before assessing their progress against their goals.

Set your Boundaries

It is tempting to think that the term “behaviour management” applies just to working with children but teachers who work regularly with adults are very quick to point out that this is not the case! By far the most common issue is…..chatting. Adults talk too much. Perhaps this is connected to anxiety as conversation can serve as a break from the challenges of learning.

Keep a close eye on this, especially in the first few lessons. Without monitoring, the conversation can overtake the music. Finding strategies to lightly and gently return to the music and using these early on in the relationship can be really beneficial in the long term.

The relationship is also a keyword here. For the inexperienced teacher, the boundary between student/teacher and friendship can become blurred. This often leads to problems. It is your job as the teacher to ensure the professional boundary remains in place. Inside that boundary, a safe and friendly relationship can develop over time.

Manage Expectations

Adults can spend years dreaming about sounding like their favourite artists. It can be a shock when they begin to realise the length of the road ahead of them. Breaking things down into very specific, very reachable goals will help the student focus on the next step and not the enormity of the journey. Making each lesson a rich, enjoyable musical experience will help make the journey feel worthwhile, regardless of its length.

The speed of the journey is of course influenced by the amount of time your student can practice. Having honest conversations with your student about what’s possible will help you tailor the lessons to suit them. If practice is difficult for your student in between lessons, suggesting a longer lesson length and devoting more time to the repetition of techniques and exercises is a good strategy. You can even enhance this musically by providing accompaniment.

Share Your Experience

We hope you found some value in our conversations with experienced teachers. If you would like to contribute to this conversation, please send us your quotes or observations, we’d love to include them on this page.