By Laurie Niles: Children have open minds, and by their nature are quick to learn new ideas and skills. Adults have already achieved a level of coordination and can draw on experience and advanced communication skills.
So which are more likely to learn violin, viola or another instrument faster, adults or children? Or do they learn at about the same pace?
![child and adult violinist]()
As a teacher, I've definitely taught more children than adults, but I've certainly taught a fair share of adults. I find that most people assume automatically that children will learn faster, but it's not always true. A motivated and open-minded adult can learn quite quickly, especially if he or she embraces the necessity of practice. It's possible that children "get" the necessity of practice more easily because they are in "practice mode" with so many of the new things they do, from learning to throw and catch a ball to learning to brush their teeth. Generally the biggest barrier for a student of any age is practice!
Of course, it depends on the individual, but taking a big-picture look, what is your opinion on the matter? How has age affected your own studies? If you are a teacher, what do you observe in your students? Do you feel there are any misconceptions about this? Please participate in the vote and then share your thoughts in the comments.
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