For those who took piano lessons or still play?

Question:

For those who took piano lessons or still play?

I taught myself to play a Beethoven song, and since then my family has been pressuring me to take lessons. My boyfriend tells me I'd be good at it, but I'm afraid that if I take lessons, it's going to to turn into something I resent doing. I don't want that to happen. I'd like to learn, though. But I know if I take lessons and have my mom pay for them and decide I don't like it, she's going to be pretty upset with me. So what I'm wondering is, would it be worth it? Should I go ahead and do it? Did you enjoy it, or still enjoy it now? Just tell me your story.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Well, I've taken lessons most of my life, have a degree in piano, and now teach and play piano for choirs in my area. I love it....couldn't imagine life without it. There are a couple of years in high school that I didn't take lessons....stating to my parents that I could do fine teaching myself. How I wish I could go back and change that decision.

As a piano teacher, I see lots of students come and go. And I hear lots of stories from parents about their own experiences. Most of them regret either having quit lessons or never pushing to get them in the first place.

Here's my advice: First you have to decide if you want to do this, or if you're just doing it because it's what others expect of you. (In high school, everyone told me I should be a computer programmer or an engineer.....Oh! How miserable I would be if I had listened to them!!!) Then, since you're concerned you may not like it once you start: Come to an agreement with your mom and the teacher about a time limit. 3 months is a very reasonable commitment to start with. You simply can't know if you'll like it within a few lessons. Commit to that 3 months, practice hard, and plan to conference with your parents & teacher at the end of that time to decide what you should do from there. (Your teacher will appreciate this plan as well.) Source(s):
myself....longtime pianist & piano teacher. Okay. Try a few lessons and see how you feel. Who knows. You may absolutely LOVE the lessons and you may hate them! Try it out! Well, taking lessons will mean a time commitment so you can practice. Truly practice is the key, if you already like to sit and "doodle" at the piano, then you are already commiting some time to it anyway. Pick a teacher that you "research" a bit, find one that will work on the basics, but allow you to learn songs of your liking too. Really all you are out is the time invested in practicing- I found once I was is high school, it was my favorite thing to pass time. It was "me time" and still is! The return for your time invested is having the ability to create and recreate songs for enjoyment. So many of my friends from both my high school days and now are very envious that I stuck with it.

For sure by choosing not to take lessons, you won't ever get much better- more of just always, kind of pick at it. In the long run a person with a good musical ear knows they aren't as good as they could be and often regret their choice to have not at least tried.

"A day spent without learning, is a day lost" -Ludwig van Beethoven

- music teacher 15 years i have taken piano lessons for more than 5 years and i didn't like it, so i told my parents i didn't want to learn anymore and they agreed to it (of course they did try to persuade me to continue). But now i play those pieces that i really like at my own time and i don't have to be pressured by the deadline so i find it very enjoyable. I think that if you want to be technically good you should engage yourself a teacher and it can bring you to greater heights, if not just learn by yourself. When I decided to start taking piano lessons again, I was sure that I was going to regret it. Last time I took piano lessons, I resented the fact that I was constantly nagged about practicing so I quit. But this time around, I love it! I would have never thought that I would turn into one of those people who enjoys playing piano, but I have and it's all thanks to the fact that I really like my teacher. She's totally awesome and makes lessons something to look forward to, instead of something to dread. My advice to you is if you have a great teacher who you really enjoy spending time each week with, you won't mind practicing and you'll love lessons too! i have taken piano for about 8 years now. I do like it, i admit sometiems im bored with it and dont want to practice but really, I like it much more than i am bored with it. I suggest trying lessons. Explain to your mom that you just want to try it and not make a total commitment yet and maybe she wont be upset :)
Most ppl i know who play piano dont get those bored spills that I get so i think you would enjoy it!
good luck!!! :)