The “Taking Lessons Effect”
I recently started taking piano lessons again for the first time in over 30 years, which, if you know me, may surprise you for two reasons.
I’m a complete non-joiner and pursue most of my hobbies, exercise, and self-care solo.
I’m a little short on “free time” at this phase of my life.
I’ve been practicing piano on my own for decades, making some progress here and there, and overall enjoying myself whenever I play. But lately, advice my grandpa gave me when I was in college has been echoing in my head: “Always have a teacher.”
But Grandpa, I’m busy. Plus, that advice is so 90s.
Now: You can learn any song on YouTube. Chat can create a thorough practice schedule for you. There’s a (piano) app for that.
These are all options. Or, you can do what I’ve done – muddle through on your own.
But somehow, years, decades have passed with only passable improvement in my piano skills. It’s already September! If I’m honest about the progress I’ve made in 2026 before starting lessons, it’s obvious that committing to working with a teacher sooner would have not only improved my playing but also been much more fun.
The first couple of lessons blew my mind. My teacher offered new insights into how to practice, challenged me with exercises in rhythm and dynamics. Maybe I’m overstating it, but it almost felt like new neural pathways were forming right there on the piano bench.
This is what I like to call the “Taking Lessons Effect,” and it applies to much more than just learning to play an instrument.
Showing up in-person with a skilled teacher changes everything.
I love me some asynchronous virtual learning for things I want to passively absorb, but I know I’m not as present in the zoom room. While, thanks to technology, we can do more and more things from the comfort of our home, there’s a quality difference in what most people take from those experiences.
Think about something you are wanting to develop: a hobby, an exercise routine, learning a language, deepening your yoga practice, maybe even learning to teach yoga.
Ask yourself: By the time next summer rolls around, what progress am I likely to make on my own, or with the help of tech tools? What might happen if instead I committed to my learning in-person, with a teacher?
Only you know what’s true for you, but I definitely know my answer.
I want to gobble up all the good stuff in my life, to try to remember every single day that there are no guarantees of how much time any of us have.
I’m not letting another year go by just muddling through. I’m showing up, in-person, with my teacher, and I can’t wait to see where it will take me.
