Thomas Swenson

Not Just Big Kids!: Motivations, Preferences, Backgrounds and Attitudes of Adult Piano Students Thomas Swenson

Teaching piano to adults can be exciting, joyful, and rewarding. The pedagogical strategies and teaching environment used with children and teens are not necessarily successful in working with the adult population. Andragogy, an educational term used to denote the unique learning relationships and environments that occur when adults are teaching other adults, addresses some of the core issues of this term. This monograph includes summaries of many influential research projects and theories regarding adult education, leisure and recreational learning, music education for adults, and keyboard teaching for adults. It continues with a unique research study that sheds light on the attitudes, motivations, opinions, backgrounds, and demographics of career-aged adults (30-55) currently enrolled in keyboard lessons. Eight possible profiles of adult keyboard students are hypothesized. Three distinct profiles emerge based on a unique research study: The Serious Amateur, the Amicable Amateur, and the Late Bloomer. The conclusions and implications of this research inform keyboard teachers, Piano Pedagogy instructors, and anyone who teaches adults.