The nervousness of performance is like distraction during practice, it doesn’t go away. However, some days are better than others. The trick is to accept the feelings of the day and ultimately use their energy to enhance the performance.
Cold yet sweaty hands, tremulous fingers, tight chest, and angst in the pit of the stomach — they all characterize performance anxiety. read the rest 
Adults bring a great deal of baggage with them to their lessons because of their history with music and education. They come insecure about their musical knowledge and afraid of the power they feel in music. Their memories of teachers are mixed. They are justifiably cautious about starting a relationship with a new one. Further, adults misunderstand the learning process as it relates to piano. read the rest 
For some adult students, the love of music creates a paralysis of learning that is remarkable and surprising. We always assume that the love of a subject is an important ingredient in learning; but too much can get in the way. For some, music is so precious and wonderful that their awe of it makes it hard to approach the nitty-gritty work necessary for mastery of the common physical tasks of music making. read the rest 
As beginners, children and adult piano students bring different mental abilities to the task of understanding music notation. As a result, I expect different paths for each group. Adults understand the concepts of note and rhythm faster than children do. They should, for adults’ minds, unlike children’s, are conceptual in nature. On the other hand, it’s hard for adults to grasp that notation is ultimately about sound and physical action. read the rest 
When people learn that I teach adults, I’m always taken aback when they say:
“It must be so much more satisfying teaching adults than children because you know adults are taking lessons because they want to.
This is today’s first myth.
There is a prevalent misconception that teaching adults is easy. It’s just not true. Yes, adults want their lessons (so do my young students, for that matter) but wanting something doesn’t automatically provide motivation. read the rest 