from the series: It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Brenda Dillon, Editor The challenge for our youth-focused industry is to develop both products and programs designed to attract and serve a vastly underserved older market. Because space was available in the Autumn 2004 issue of Keyboard Companion, I was able to include my farewell commen...

from the series: ​It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Brenda Dillon, Editor A walk down memory lane ... It has been said that inside the body of every seventy-year-old is a thirty-five-year-old saying, "What happened to me?" When one of the writers for this issue backed out near the deadline, I suggested to Elvina that I answer this questio...

​from the series: It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Brenda Dillon, Editor I consider it a great honor to be a learning partner with students who are still dreaming rather than regretting. Every time I think about this kind of teaching, the word Joyful immediately comes to mind. However, Joyful is immediately followed by challenging and  f...

from the series: ​It's Never Too Late: Adult Piano Study Brenda Dillon, Editor After reading Barbara Maris' book, Making Music at the Piano: Learning Strategi es For Adult Students (Oxford University Press), I was constantly reminded that we crave a "one-stop-shopping" experience. In a sense this is what I found Barbara's book to be. In additi...

Brenda Dillon is on the faculty of Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas, Project Director for the National Piano Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy and is a teacher who loves to help her adult students bridge the gap between wishing and doing.  How Do Yo...

Increasing numbers of adults taking piano lessons didn't just happen overnight. Teachers have been observing that their percentage of adult students has risen steadily through the past decade. Publishers have responded to this change in the marketplace by publishing a diverse array of materials written specifically for adult beginners.  A rela...

We are fortunate to have this question answered by two writers who are extremely knowledgeable about arthritis. Charlotte Frazier is a Registered Music Therapist (RMT) who has experience teaching piano to adults with arthritis. Scott Zashin is an MD who stays informed about the most current treatments of arthritis through his position as editor of ...

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People , Stephen Covey writes eloquently and persuasively about living a principle-centered life. Although all seven habits have the potential to greatly enhance the teaching/ learning process, I believe that one of them can make the most dramatic difference for us as teachers- Seek first to understand, then ...

If confession is good for the soul, then my soul is about to feel really good. Because I am going to admit to something which may appall most, if not all readers of KEYBOARD COMPANION.  Currently, I teach adults only in groups, but when I was teaching several adult students in private lessons, I actually enjoyed it when one or two of them...

The question for this issue should have a familiar ring to it. It's certainly asked often enough when teachers get together. Are there any adults upwards of thirty alive today who don't want to play Für Elise and the Moonlight Sonata before they are technically ready? I'm convinced that there was something in the water consumed by pregnant women se...

​In the Spring, 1994 issue of Keyboard Companion , Paul Sheftel and Robert Vandall answered the question, What do you do when adults are determined to play repertoire they can't possibly play?, by suggesting alternative choices for your students. In this issue, Fred Kern and Phillip Kevern answer the same question by discussing and suggesting trans...

It has been said that inside the body of every seventy-year-old is a thirty-fiveyear- old saying, "What happened?" This brings to mind a friend who asked his mother on her 72nd birthday if she didn't feel quite a bit younger than 72. She told him that depended on whether she was climbing stairs or not.  The older population is increasing at a&...

from the series: ​It's Never Too Late: Adult Music Study In addition to giving us specific information about adult learners, Michelle Robison's response to our question addresses the myth that adults quit learning after a certain age. You may have noticed in conversations with many adults that the magic age varies, depending on the age of the ...

Alt hough this question implies that all  plateaus are negative, our writers very  effectively dispute that contention and give  us very positive reasons for plateaus. It is  analogous to the age-old question about the  glass being half empty or half full. A plateau  from one perspective is viewed as no  progress ...

This question implies a great deal of negativity because it includes the words deficiencies and demoralizing. Our writers for this issue have realistically addressed this question and have provided some extremely positive suggestions. We welcome your additional comments on this topic. Please write to me in care of Keyboard Companion. Reme...

The beauty of a publication like KEYBOARD COMPANION is that we can change our questions in mid-stream if our incoming mail provokes a change. Jane Karwoski wrote me a thought-provoking letter last summer challenging the assumption that all adult students study piano only for personal enrichment. I asked her to expand her thoughts into the article b...

Brenda Dillon is on the faculty of Brookhaven College  in Dallas, Project Administrator for the National Piano Foundation, co-author of Acquiring Music Fundamentals, Design for Music Reading, Group Piano Study Guide, and Essential Steps and Piano Patterns, and Past Chairman of the Texas Group Piano Associatio...