Serenading Adulthood: Why Your 20s Are Ideal for Learning the Flute
Let’s talk about life in your 20s. Sometimes, it can be pretty hard for anyone, no matter what your path is. Arguably, it’s one of the more tumultuous times in one’s life and most people struggle to find themselves during their 20s. That said, playing an instrument can help bring peace to a wild and, sometimes, scary time in life. Things change rapidly in your 20s, but being a musician often stays constant and grounds many of us back to earth.
Learning flute in your 20s is a great way to bring some of that grounding energy to yourself. It gives you free space to channel your frustration, your emotions, work, school, family, and more, and explore how you’re feeling and who you are.
There are some wonderful advantages physically and mentally to learning the flute in your 20s. Some of these include emotional intelligence, self-awareness (in both body and mind), and more developed patience (if this doesn’t sound like you - don’t worry - you’ll develop patience as a musician). Often, adult students whose brains are still developing (such as those in their 20s) pick things up faster than their younger AND older counterparts. So, this is the perfect time to start!
The Beauty of the 20s
People learning instruments in their 20s have some unique opportunities and advantages that people starting an instrument earlier and later don’t necessarily have.
For one, if you didn’t start playing your instrument when you were 6, you likely aren’t planning on being a career musician, so you don’t have to experience the pressure to be a prodigy that many young music students do. That’s not to say you can’t learn quickly and be a career musician if you want, but the pressure isn’t there for you to “make something of it.”
For two, and this is important, your brain is still developing and you’re still in an optimal learning window. Most adults begin to plateau and decline in their ability to learn between ages 30 and 40, so starting an instrument in your 20s means you can still learn at peak ability for a few years! Don’t worry, 30-somethings and beyond, there’s still plenty of opportunity for you too! Click here to read more about playing flute in your 30s.
Your twenties are all about self-discovery and personal growth. So, discovering new things like hobbies and other outlets can be an incredibly cathartic experience. You’re still learning who you are in your twenties, therefore it’s important to explore and find things you enjoy, such as flute playing!
Benefits of Learning Flute in Your 20s
There are so many benefits to learning to play the flute as a young adult. Cognitive benefits include increased memory, math skills, and heightened learning function. Physically, you get to continue to refine those fine motor skills which typically start to decrease as you get older, so strengthening them early on can help keep them up well into adulthood and beyond. Adult musicians tend to be more emotionally intelligent, too, as they have built a good outlet and learn to understand and interpret their feelings inwardly and outwardly. Not only that, but becoming a musician opens up a whole world of social circles with lessons, ensembles, online groups, and more. Being a musician can bring you into a whole new world of really cool people, and I highly recommend taking advantage of that.
Music can also build creativity, discipline, and stress management, which are soft skills that can really give you a leg up not just in your personal life, but in your career, too. Creativity builds problem-solving skills and the ability to think outside of the box. Discipline comes from practice time, and benefits your ability to sit still and focus on one thing, which is something many of us struggle with in the digital age (myself included 🙋🏻♀️). Of course, stress management - so important in this day and age - having a musical outlet gives us something to decompress with and let go of the day with.
There are tons of benefits to learning the flute in your 20s, but it’s important to consider the ones that are important to YOU in this phase of your life.
Freedom to Explore
In your early 20s, you have the freedom and flexibility to pursue hobbies and find what you love before your career, your family, and your adult life truly takes off. While I know that young adults are working more and more, it’s important to take advantage of the time you have and enjoy your time outside of work. Getting the foundations now and building it into a habit early can help you long term when your life continues to get busier - use your flute practice as a way to slow down and spend time working on YOU.
It’s not always easy to incorporate flute practice into a busy schedule, but it can be done. 15 minutes here and there in any given day will work wonders on your ability to get better at your instrument quickly. It’s helpful to take lessons so that a teacher can guide you on efficient practice techniques to use your time wisely, and be sure to keep your flute and music easily accessible (I really like using an iPad to keep my music handy) so that when you find a few minutes in your day to play, it’s easy to get setup.
Harnessing Your Learning Potential
Brain plasticity in your 20s is proven to be higher and begins declining in your 30s. This means that even though we’re being wild in our 20s (most of us, that is), we have higher potential to learn new things and be adaptable. So, if there’s any time to learn something new or explore a new hobby, it’s in your 20s.
Brain plasticity is the ability for your neural pathways to change through growth and reorganization. This means, again, that with higher neuroplasticity comes higher levels of learning and the ability to build skills and retrain the brain in and out of habits or mindsets.
Music is not only best learned during times of higher plasticity in the brain, but it is also said to increase said plasticity as well, giving you valuable adaptability and learning ability back. So, being a musician is an incredibly helpful skill for brain development and continued health.
Personal Growth and Expression
Learning the flute is a wonderful form of self-expression and personal development. You can learn to be more emotionally intelligent, creative, and expressive through being a musician. Many of my students have found their voice and confidence through flute playing in their 20s. Being a musician sets you apart from others because many people don’t take their musicianship past their middle school band days, but carrying it on, or starting later makes you different. Every day, I hear stories from people who wish they had continued playing but didn’t, and you can be one of those people who did by playing into your 20s.
Overcoming Challenges
Common challenges for adult learners are finding the time to practice, holding themselves to too high of a standard, and trying to move too quickly through the fundamentals.
Here’s the thing - adults tend to believe that we get to skip the fundamentals, or that we will be automatically good at them. That’s just not the case. What we can do is try to slow down and enjoy the beginning of learning something new. Take playing your flute one day at a time and share it with people when you can. Even if you aren’t good at it yet, allow people to enjoy your learning process with you. Sharing this will allow those around you to see your learning journey and be impressed by your growth! So, don’t hold yourself to an unattainable standard. Enjoy being a beginner and enjoy the process of getting better. Check-in with yourself often and celebrate your wins!
Finding time to practice can be difficult for adults, too, and some strategies work better for different people. Remember, give yourself grace and try to be kind to yourself, especially in the beginning. Some, like myself, find that scheduling practice throughout the day is helpful. Literally put it in your calendar so that you have the time blocked off. Others find that this doesn’t work as well - but rather having their flute nearby and easily accessible is much better so that they could pick up their flute and play any time they have a few free moments. Be sure to work with a teacher to find the right methods for you and learn to practice efficiently.
Finding the Right Mentor
As an adult, it’s super important to find a good flute teacher and mentor when it comes to learning a new instrument. A good teacher can help you find the right pace for learning as well as teach you how to practice, offer guidance and support you in your journey. Find someone who aligns with your style and goals as a musician. Make sure you ask lots of questions when locating a teacher - including about their practice requirements and expectations, performance opportunities, their focus on mental health, and more. Make sure your teacher is on the same page as you, because every teacher is different!
Setting Musical Goals
It’s important to establish clear musical goals and milestones. I like to use the SMART method by making sure my goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. It’s important that you keep this method in mind so that you can create goals that will propel you forward in your flute playing without getting frustrated.
Young flute learners might choose a specific piece to perfect or a number of etudes to pass in a specific amount of time. Find yourself a good etude book (or get a recommendation from your teacher) so that you can work your way through them progressively and actively see your progress happening. You may also aim to master a specific octave or learn to play eighth notes perfectly subdivided. Your goals will depend on you, but a good teacher can help you set them.
Embracing the Community
I cannot stress enough how important it is to lean into a musical community. You can find these communities through social media, in your local area through music stores, local symphonies, and music schools, and through your teacher. Lean into these resources and connect with your fellow musicians as much as you can.
Try groups such as Flute Forum and Flute Reboot on Facebook if you’re unsure where to start!
Conclusion
Your 20s are a great time to explore new hobbies and interests!
Your brain is designed to learn as much as you can during that time.
Learning the flute is a great way to develop lots of soft skills, including emotional intelligence, creativity, and more in your 20s.
Consider embarking on your flute playing journey today - you won’t regret it!
Don’t forget, if you are looking for online flute lessons with a teacher that understands the unique challenges of learning through adulthood, I have openings in my studio! Click here to learn more.
