by Allison Jarrell, MMM Founder and President
After spending a lifetime at the piano, I’m becoming a beginner again.
That may sound strange coming from someone who has spent nearly three decades leading a music school and a lifetime studying music. But tomorrow, I’ll walk into my very first official jazz piano lesson feeling the same mix of excitement and nervousness that so many of our students experience.
And honestly, I can’t wait.
A Lifetime of Classical Piano
I’ve been classically trained almost my entire life, except for the very beginning, when my grandmother taught me Mary Had a Little Lamb at the age of three. I competed in classical piano competitions throughout middle and high school before entering college on a classical piano scholarship. Classical music wasn’t just what I played. It shaped the way I understood the piano.
Then, while I was at Florida State, I decided to venture into completely unfamiliar territory: jazz.
I joined a jazz ensemble thinking I might be the next Nina Simone or Diana Krall.
Reality hit on the very first day.
I quickly realized jazz wasn’t just another style of music. It was an entirely different musical language.
Everyone else in the room seemed fluent. I felt like I barely knew the alphabet.
The class was filled with jazz majors who had spent years playing in jazz bands throughout middle and high school. It was the early ’90s, I was the only woman in the class, the pianist, and the only one with virtually no jazz background. The instructor’s teaching style was intense, and I quickly realized I had skipped some important steps before jumping into an advanced jazz ensemble.
Needless to say, I was completely out of my element.
After only a couple of classes, I realized I wasn’t ready for that environment. I quietly dropped the class, and with it, I set aside the dream of learning to play jazz.
Unfinished Business
A few years later, life took me in a different musical direction. I started writing my own music and eventually lived out the singer-songwriter dream. Looking back, I don’t regret that path for a second.
But somewhere in the back of my mind, jazz always felt like unfinished business.
So tomorrow, decades later, I’m trying again.
This time, I’m not jumping into a jazz ensemble. I’m starting where I probably should have started all those years ago: with my very first jazz piano lesson.
I’m excited to become acquainted with my instrument in a completely different way. I want to understand the piano more deeply than I ever have before.
Piano, and making music, has always been one of my greatest love languages. To stop learning, to stop evolving, would feel like neglecting a relationship that has shaped so much of my life.
Am I nervous? Absolutely.
But underneath those nerves is something even stronger: curiosity.
Music Is a Lifelong Journey
One of the beautiful things about music is that you never reach the finish line. There’s always another style to explore, another technique to learn, another way to hear the same notes.
That’s one of the reasons I love teaching. Every student is on a unique musical journey, and every musician, no matter their experience level, still has something new to discover.
That’s why I often tell students that learning music isn’t about arriving somewhere. It’s about building a lifelong relationship.
Some seasons you’ll grow quickly. Some seasons you’ll take a break. Life gets busy, and your instrument patiently waits for you. But whenever you come back, there’s always something new waiting to be discovered.
Maybe that’s true of dreams, too.
Sometimes they don’t disappear. They simply wait until we’re ready to begin again.
Tomorrow, I’ll be the beginner again.
And honestly…
I can’t wait.
It’s Never Too Late to Learn Music
Whether you’re three years old playing Mary Had a Little Lamb, a teenager preparing for auditions, or an adult dusting off an instrument after years away, your musical journey doesn’t have an expiration date.
The best musicians I know aren’t the ones who know everything.
They’re the ones who stay curious.
They’re willing to ask questions.
They’re willing to make mistakes.
And they’re willing to become beginners again.
If you’ve been thinking about learning an instrument—or returning to one you once loved—consider this your sign to start.
You don’t have to know everything before you begin.
You just have to be willing to take the first lesson.
Ready to Begin Your Musical Journey?
At Metro Music Makers, we believe music is for every age and every stage of life. Whether you’re looking for piano, guitar, voice, violin, drums, or another instrument, our experienced teachers meet you where you are and help you grow from there.