How not to be nervous for your first piano lesson

I speak from experience when I say that pre-lesson jitters are something every adult student has to go through. Don’t let it turn you off from trying though! The good news is that the nerves usually evaporate once you get started. You’ll feel happy and motivated afterwards!

Pre-lesson jitters

You’ve done it. You’ve booked a lesson with a teacher, and you’re excited to be soon tickling the ivories.

You can already picture yourself wow-ing friends and family with your new skill.

But you’re also incredibly nervous for that first lesson. You have butterflies in your stomach. You feel restless all morning.

I sympathise with you!
No really!

I took my very first singing lesson EVER yesterday! (yes, I finally did it!!) And oh man, was I nervous before that first lesson!

But guess what happened? The teacher was lovely (thank you, Emily, if you read this!) and I left feeling inspired and motivated.

You see, even a PIANO TEACHER who TEACHES ADULT BEGINNERS gets nervous when trying to learn a new skill! It’s human nature to fear what we don’t know yet.

Why you feel nervous

“I can’t do this…”

Self-doubt is very common for adult beginners.

You might worry about what the teacher will think of you after that first lesson. You worry about failing everything they ask of you. You fear the teacher will find you trying to teach, or unmusical.

Stop!

NONE of that crosses our minds! I promise!

What we think instead is something like this:

“Ok wow, this student can play very musical! I might need to focus on hand position and relaxation over the next couple of weeks to help them play with more ease.”
Or:
“How fun! This student is a blank slate! I can’t wait to see their eyes light up when they play their first song!!”

Here’s the thing: we know you can’t play well! That’s kind of why you came to us in the first place, isn‘t it?

Fear of the Unknown

A lot of nerves can come about from not knowing what to expect in that first lesson.

I can’t speak here for all piano teachers, since we all do things a little differently!

In my first trial session, I usually start by chatting to you and getting to know you a little.

It’s a great way to put you at ease, so you can see I’m not a scary, elitist monster.

I also like to teach you something to play. If you are already working on a piece, we can look at that together. Or I teach something small and fun for you to take away.

My focus is always on giving you a good experience, and on encouraging you. I want you to succeed!

How to stop your nerves

I’ll level with you here. I (sadly) don’t have a magic wand or formula that will stop your nerves before that first (trial) lesson.

But I can promise you that the nerves will fade away fast once you get started!

So my advice?

The best way to stop being nervous for that first lesson is to DO IT!
Show up, try a lesson and see for yourself!

I promise you there is no better way to get rid of jitters than to experience a fun, motivating lesson!

If you’d like to bite the bullet and see if online piano lessons are right for you, you can book a 30-minute free trial session here!