“No Talent for Piano?” Should My Child Still Continue Learning?

Many parents start to struggle with this question after their child has been learning piano for a while:

Should we continue lessons?

Here are two common situations:

1. The child has been learning for a period of time, but progress is very slow, or there seems to be no progress at all.

2. The child doesn’t seem particularly interested in music, and parents feel their future potential in this area may be limited.

At this point, parents may begin to wonder:

“Does my child have musical talent?”

“Can musical talent be developed?”

“If they don’t have talent, should we continue piano lessons?”

When faced with this situation, don’t panic. Ask this important question first:

Does your child love music?

If your original intention for enrolling your child in piano lessons was to give them an experience with music, then you must seriously consider:

Does my child enjoy learning music?

Even if your child progresses more slowly than other children of the same age, and even if the teacher has pointed out that your child doesn’t appear to have exceptional musical potential—if your child is not discouraged by this and still enjoys piano lessons, then maybe it’s time to see things from your child’s perspective.

Let me share a short story with you, from the book Good Music, Brighter Children by Sharlene Habermeyer:

The author admitted that her teacher wasn’t entirely wrong, she wasn’t a musical prodigy and didn’t have master-level performance skills. But she did go on to earn a degree in the arts, and her love of music has never faded. Music continued to play a central role in her life.

Many parents worry:

“Maybe my child doesn’t have enough talent?”

But what exactly is the standard for “talent”?

Who gets to define it?

Even experts in intelligence or aptitude testing can’t definitively judge whether someone does or doesn’t have talent. If we compare every child to Mozart, then nearly all music schools around the world would have to shut down!

If a child has “6 out of 10” talent, but the parent or teacher believes they must have “at least 8 out of 10” to be considered talented, does that mean a child who enjoys music must be excluded from learning it?

Even if a child shows no obvious talent, but has a deep passion and love for music, shouldn’t that child still be given a chance?

Also, not every talented child shines at the beginning. Some take years of quiet, steady practice before their abilities blossom, sometimes even surpassing those who showed early promise.

Parents, please remember: Every child is unique!

Each child develops in their own way. No two children are exactly the same, not even twins.

Educational theories and charts are based on general averages and should only serve as loose guidelines.

If your child is deeply interested in music but progressing more slowly, it may simply be because they are learning in their own way. Traditional standards may not fully reflect their understanding.

Some children develop later than others, and that’s perfectly okay.

So when piano learning isn’t going smoothly, ask yourself:

Is this a waste of money, or is it an investment in your child’s growth and happiness?

It depends on how you define the value of learning music, what your child gains from it, and how much effort is made to support and nurture their potential.