starting age

[lilypiano]

I started piano when I was 12 and quit lessons when I was 14.  My teacher moved away and I got busy with track and band in high school.  I really wish i  hadn't stopped taking lessons.  I never completely quit and I think I developed musically, but if I hadn't stopped the lessons I would be so much further along now.  I started taking lessons again at 20.  Now I'm 22 and a senior in college, and I like music and piano more than anything else.  I really wish I could make a career out of, but I don't think I can.  I think  my plan is to get a day job (maybe as a CPA) and keep getting better at piano.  I wish  I could go to grad school in piano and then teach as an adjunct music tutor at a college.  I guess that's pretty hopeless.  Maybe  I could get in if I audition when I'm about 27 or so.  That way i can work as a CPA for a while, pay off student loans, and then do what I love. Maybe that would work.   I just wish I had started earlier than age 12 and stuck with it.  I don't know why i wasn't taking piano younger.  My mom enrolled me in cello when i was like five.   I always liked to play piano, though.  My grandma taught me how to play a scale when i was little, and I loved doing that.  geez.  regrets, regrets. 

[m1469]

Hi lilypiano,

Perhaps you have learned from your decisions in the past that making piano more of a priority in your life, would serve you well.  This is an extremely important discovery because this is knowledge you can use now, even in this very moment.  If you regret having let other things distract you from your desire to learn more about the piano, don't keep walking on that same path or you will have the same regrets later.  Do not put off doing what you know you want to be doing, at some point you will need to just jump in and do it. 

All that really matters is the next step you have to take, and what kind of a person you need to be to be able to take that step.  Sometimes that step is just straight ahead, sometimes it involves a sharp turn or a jump onto another pathway.  Approach your desire to play the piano as though you have been learning about various aspects of it and yourself as a pianist for your entire life, with every single thing you have been doing, because, you have been.  Give yourself permission to allow piano to be your first priority, this does not mean that you have to starve and that your other needs will not be met.  Give yourself permission to succeed in what you love, starting exactly from where you are at in this very moment, even if you are unclear as to what exactly success means for you (it is always growing and "changing" anyway).

Also, I do not think that you need to have a Masters to be adjunct faculty, although I am not sure.  But, that is perhaps something you could already be doing (if that is what you want to do, look into what it takes to do it).  Other than that, if teaching is something you would like to be doing, there is really nothing saying you cannot start doing that privately, now.  Teaching can provide great opportunities for you to learn in areas you may feel the need to focus your own self on in order to grow.

If finances are a concern in doing this, is moving back home for a couple of years an option ?  If so, this could provide you the opportunity to still pay off loans and not be paying as much (or any) in room and board.   During this time you would still be giving piano priority in your life, and grow a great deal through the process.

One last thing... why not go to graduate school right away ?

Just some thoughts,
m1469

[lilypiano]

Thanks m1469, you're very encouraging.  I guess I have been learning about different aspects of  the piano for my whole life.  I still think it might be wise to try to get a higher paying job for at least a little while.  I want to stay in New Orleans and have a nice house(and piano) here.  I'm going to need money to do that, especially now that the city has a housing problem.  I think you are right in needing to give myself permission to dedicate myself to it like I've been doing it my whole life,though.  I have sort of decided to do that with my music major.  While I  am not a piano performance major,  I can work just as hard as one and be proud of majoring in music.  I am getting better at piano and learning a lot here.
 
I think I need to be practical, but totally immersing myself in what i love really might be more exciting.  I just watched a piano concerto showcase performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and it was so wonderful.  The people in the orchestra looked so happy.  A few of them are married to each other. They just play in the orchestra, teach, and are happy not being rich. I wish i could just go to grad school now and meet more musicians.  Maybe I could do it if I studied musicology.  or maybe piano pedagogy
Do you teach piano? 

[m1469]

Well, deciding to become a piano teacher is not necessarily unpractical nor impractical.  Even with all the other things that matter to you.  Neither is the decision to totally immerse oneself in what one really loves, even if it is exciting at the same time.  They do not need to exclude each other, and doing just that might even be more practical in both the long run and in the short run.  I think it's about living up to one's full potential each day, each moment.  I know I would not be serving a different occupation well if I was in some corporate office thinking about piano all day long.  It would not be the most efficient use of my abilities in any stretch of the imagination.  But perhaps in your case, you would not be torn and would feel as though you are indeed living up to your full potential.

The trap of putting off what you love is that there will always be excuses not to do it.  It is extremely easy to form habits around putting off something that seems scary and requires something unknown from us as an individual.  And, if you get caught up in some other occupation, putting money first (no judgement) -- or anything else first, that can become difficult to pull out of.  Life happens, and people build their life around what is happening.  Basically, these habits can be tough to break. At some point, a career change would cause some sort of shift in living style.  

I think it's very wise to start building, as immediately as possible, habits that include the type of lifestyle one is ultimately wishing for.  Couldn't you agree ?

Another point is that, being a musician does not automatically make a person happy.  Witnessing people who are indeed happy within the profession does not mean that everyone will be happy just by becoming/being a musician.  Just like anything else, it's completely individual, as you would imagine.  It's also a lot of (very) hard work.

If you are interested in graduate school, by all means it would serve you well to actually start looking into it soon.  Even if you don't end up going for a few years still.  Educate yourself on what your options actually are before you decide something is not an option.

And yes, I do teach piano.


m1469

[lilypiano]

I talked to the head of the piano dept. at my school about wanting to teach last year.  She said "I know you're very musical.  I heard the way you played that prelude.  That's something you were born with, and that's good.  But you haven't been playing for years, you're not advanced enough, and it takes time."
I said that in 10 years or so I could be at the appropriate level.  She said I would be 30 years old by then, and I need to choose a career that I can be highly successful in.  I think I would be successful if became a good pianist and  my students developed a love for the piano and enjoyed learning from me. I   She's a Russian concert pianist, so maybe her standards for being very successful  are a little different. She suggested I become a doctor since I was getting a biology degree. 
  Do you think the age you start  influences how good you can become, or is early exposure to music enough? I guess it probably depends on the individual too.  I'm just not that confident that I would be a good enough.  Right now I'm  learning the 2nd movement of the Pathetique, and the most difficult piece I've learned is a Chopin nocturne.  I think maybe by the end of next year I would be good enough to get into a performance program as an undergraduate.  So maybe four years after that I'd be ready for grad school.  i don't know. 
  I just worry about the money issue alot because I don't want to move back home.  If i'm not in some sort of school after I graduate, I'm going to have to start paying off student loans, paying rent, and groceries. I really don't like not having enough money.  it makes everything more stressful.   Maybe teaching and having a part time job until I could go to graduate school would give me enough.

[abell88]

Just a couple of thoughts:

You might not get to a very advanced level, but you could still teach beginners/intermediate students. Would you enjoy that?

A man once wrote to Dear Abby...he was 30 years old; when he was younger he had wanted to become a doctor, but hadn't been able to afford university. Now, at 30, he could afford it, but it would take 10 years and he would be starting a career at 40. Abby's answer was very wise..."In 10 year you will be 40. Do you want to be 40 and a doctor, or 40 and something else?"

[canardroti]

with the correct way of practicing , You'd be amaze how much you can accomplish in just a year or two.  Many many pianist practice the wrong way , try to overcome bad habits and such for many years. You can avoid all that with a good teacher, some books and of course discipline,patience and hard work.
Of course money is important  and being dependant on it really sucks. However, You say you have regrets that you didn't keep taking lessons as a kid. in 10 years from now you might meet someone who has started the piano at the age of 22. and youl'll be amazed on how good he is and then...u'll get more regrets...
My point is.... just go for it, you're still young . too young to accumulate more regrets .
it just takes 2-4 years to get a degree and work, but learning how to play piano takes a life time ..if not more...

[m1469]

Well, I have been pondering over your thoughts for several hours.  I have been wishing to find the perfect words and the perfect concept and the perfect way to present it all in order for you to feel like you can confidently follow your heart.  I was not getting very far and I have decided instead to just talk to you.

This all reminds me, for some reason, of a time when in tears, I once called up a long-distance teacher of mine to try to find some kind of assurance of my path.  He answered the phone but could not have a conversation at the moment, and as he promised to call me back, some of the last words out of his mouth to me, in a loving and wise tone, was "life is long". 

I guess what that meant to me was that, we often think we have to have it all figured out... and it needs to be all figured out NOW if we are truly going to be somebody and do anything with our life.  And it needs to look a certain way in order to be considered a "success".  And then it's tempting to just fold or freak out, or be less bold in our path when we don't have it all firgured out.  But, the nature of life and living simply does not allow us to have everything all figured out... ever.  We have to actually live it, and not just think about it, to find out what lay around the next bend or over the next hilltop, and there is always something more to be discovered.  There is always some facet of who we are that is yet to be revealed to our own self, let alone to other people who are often very busy worrying about their own life and not truly fit to inform us on our own (or notice what we have, included within our own unique individuality).

Lily, you don't have to see the whole picture at once.  You do not have to know exactly how you are going to be able to be successful in your pianistic endeavors... ever.  And, you do not need to know exactly how you are going to be able to buy a house, and you do not need to know exactly where you are going to be and exactly what you are going to be doing when you are 30.  And no matter what, hind-sight will always be 20-20, and wiser.

There will always be somebody telling you that you cannot do it, I think that is how it is for everyone.  Consider even the professional pianists who have obviously received some amazing support along the way, and in some cases have had all of the right opportunities growing up... but they get ridiculed everyday by other people.  At some point, they decided that they didn't have to let what other people say about them stop them from doing what they feel they need to be doing (for whatever reasons those may be).

What I have found to be so very interesting though, is that when a person truly decides to do something and digs within to have movement, in many ways, the world goes with you.  Maybe not everyone at once, but enough so that your path is evident enough to follow and you have food in your belly and a pillow to lay your head on, both practically and figuratively.  I have had example after example of this very thing within my own life... and things happen in ways I never could have imagined.  And, do you know what ?  It's an amazing adventure !!  (and well worth the lessons I gain from it).

It's funny... I am reminded of another little story about an experience I had.  During a time of feeling like a searcher, I drove some 5 hours to meet with a teacher in a city miles away from where I live.  It was a big effort, and not cheap -- I was on a tight budget also.  Well, I arrived early to make sure I could find the house okay and after I found it, I had about 15 minutes to spare.  For some reason I wanted to go park on a different street and wait until it was time to knock on the door.  I parked right behind another parked car whose bumper sticker read something like : "Those who discourage you from your dreams have given up on theirs".  It was so right for me to read at the time that it seemed like it had some kind of spotlight on it and some kind of magnetic pull to me and my eyes.

Well, I went to go meet with this woman, and she and I talked briefly before our lesson.  Something I told her was that at one time I wished to be a concert pianist, and before I could even finish my sentence, she interrupted me with a know-it-all tone saying "Oh, don't do it, it's not worth it".  With that single comment, I pretty much wrote off the rest of the lesson.  What I find interesting though is that my own thought was prepared before-hand for this comment from her.  If I had not read that bumper sticker before I heard her say those words, I might have been impacted differently.  Instead of being discouraged, her words simply rolled right off my back.

Lily, follow your heart with confidence, courage, and joy, and let the details get worked out as you go.


m1469


ps-  I will get to the more "practical" matters a little later.

[plunkyplink]

Lily, the thing that stands out about your post is how many times you say "I wish..." This is a form of thinking that can be destructive. The reason is because wishing things were different, or that the past was different is a complete waste of time and energy. It's pure fantasy, and is not in reality.

Stop wishing and start planning with what IS! I catch myself all the time thinking, "I wish..." and I consciously make myself stop doing that and have a look at what it is I'm not accepting and go from there. Correcting your wishful thinking will likely help ease all those things like depression, anxiety, anger, worry, and help you to go on with your life. Free your mind (of wishful thinking) and the rest will follow.

[pianoboyz]

lilypiano ,
Actually my situation is abit same with you..
I am 19 years old now, I live in Malaysia.When I was 14 years old,I started learnt piano.
But that time I was not concerntraded on it. After three years,I only grade 2. When I was 17, I joined Chinese Orchestra, and I played Double Bass.At that time , I want to play well on it so I gave up piano for two years. NOw, I am 19, just regret I didn't learn well on piano.

When the end of 2005,I started my piano lesson again.But as I need to perform Double Bass in Chinese Orchestra,I stopped again.At that time, I was thinking to learn a new instrument(so greed),that is cello.From February, I bough a new cello and learn cello and piano together. I want to learn cello because I though I will give up piano eventually.But I was wrong,now I truely can't give up piano as now piano is the most important thing in my heart. Although now my cello's skill is not exactly well, but I just want to learn it. I can't give up both either piano or cello. But I know, when I at college or graduate from college then start working,I know I only can choose one of them.

But I will go to study college on end of April.My college is at another state.And there only got one piano and don't have any club or society relevent with piano. My college is at a rural place, so I need to go to town to learn either piano or cello. But now I found that I like piano more than cello.

I know I am so suck that want to learn this learn that,and give up this give up that. But the reason I want to learn those because I want to perform. But Depend on my foolish and immature.So I lost many good opportunities to learn piano...

So now what should I do?Learn piano?Learn cello?Or learn both??lilypiano，m1469，abell88， canardroti and plunkyplink  can all of you tell me what to do? I really don't know how to make a choice. PLEASE HELP ME.

Ben

[plunkyplink]

pianoboyz, tough dilemma! Are you saying that you prefer to play the piano, but, you're more likely to make a living performing with the cello, and therein lies the difficult choice? What would be the worst thing that would happen if you concentrated on piano? What would be the worst thing that would happen if you concentrated on the cello?

lily, I was thinking, if you've got the opportunity to be a doctor, I dunno, that sounds pretty good! You'll be able to make a lot of money, have a secure future with an early retirement if you want, and it would be a very gratifying career. Or perhaps a surgeon? I was thinking, and what I came up with was, you can be a surgeon/doctor who enjoys playing and learning the piano, maybe small scale performing on the side. But you can't be a performing pianist who enjoys doing surgery and doctoring on the side. Does this help with the perspective? I'm thinking the doctor way is a good idea! But, that's just my opinion.

[m1469]

he he... well, I am thinking I may have been over-zealous in my previous posts (not because I don't think you could do it, but just like any other profession, you certainly have to want it).  I guess my main point is that if you cannot be happy doing anything else, then you can indeed "make it work" doing what you love.  But, if you would be perfectly happy doing as plunkyplink describes, that is of course a wonderful option, and there are many people who do this.

I will admit that for me, I realized I could not do anything else... not because I was incapable, but because I couldn't let myself.  And I also realized that I could probably find a way to make it work doing what I love (my soul is singing as I type this, btw).  I made a deal with myself a long time ago that I have not been able to forget (although believe you me, I have certainly tried  ).  I want to be absorbed in music and piano everyday as much as I can possibly muster.  Doing anything that does not allow this would simply drive me insane, at least at this point (but maybe that will change someday), and I would be more stressed out doing that than being a little lower in the income bracket.  In a sense, my love for music has always decided for me what path I would take and how much of an influence music would have in my life. 

LOL... it's scary advising somebody to choose this path !!   It's not all roses and rainbows !  It gives me a new perspective on and respect for teachers and what they do.  For the first time, I actually understand why some teachers discourage it (the people who have to do it will, no matter what anybody says.  And the people who would prefer to be doing something else, or can allow themselves to be doing something else, should do something else... and sometimes it's tough to know which one you are  ).


m1469

[charlotte14]

  Do you think the age you start  influences how good you can become, or is early exposure to music enough?

Hi lilypiano!

I started learning when i was four years old but up until I was about 13 it was more of a chore than something I loved. The first few years (maybe two or three?) I definitely learnt a lot but I think there was a whole chunk in the middle there where I just didn't enjoy it.

I think you learn a whole lot faster if you love it, I feel I've learnt so much more in the last two years than in the four or five years before that. So the fact that you love playing, I think, means that you'll learn really quickly.

Also - I think you should go for it! What's the point in life if you're living it to someone else's standards? Then it's not your life anymore. You should go off and do what you like with your talent because I'm sure that will make you a lot happier in the long run (and even the short run!)

charlotte

[pianoboyz]

pianoboyz, tough dilemma! Are you saying that you prefer to play the piano, but, you're more likely to make a living performing with the cello, and therein lies the difficult choice? What would be the worst thing that would happen if you concentrated on piano? What would be the worst thing that would happen if you concentrated on the cello?

lily, I was thinking, if you've got the opportunity to be a doctor, I dunno, that sounds pretty good! You'll be able to make a lot of money, have a secure future with an early retirement if you want, and it would be a very gratifying career. Or perhaps a surgeon? I was thinking, and what I came up with was, you can be a surgeon/doctor who enjoys playing and learning the piano, maybe small scale performing on the side. But you can't be a performing pianist who enjoys doing surgery and doctoring on the side. Does this help with the perspective? I'm thinking the doctor way is a good idea! But, that's just my opinion.

The worst thing that would happen if I concentrate on cello, than I will cry for the rest of my life  ,as I really like piano very much.
The worst thing that would happen if I concentrate on piano,than I will feel so sorry that can not  perform in the stage. I like to perform because I like to grabs all the limelight .

[m1469]

The worst thing that would happen if I concentrate on cello, than I will cry for the rest of my life  ,as I really like piano very much.
The worst thing that would happen if I concentrate on piano,than I will feel so sorry that can not  perform in the stage. I like to perform because I like to grabs all the limelight .

Pianoboyz, what are you/will you be studying in school ?

[pianoboyz]

Pianoboyz, what are you/will you be studying in school ?

I will study Finance in college....actually this is not my favour subjuect, but just out of chioce..hahha

[lilypiano]

thank you all for your encouragement.  I will certainly think about seriously devoting myself to the piano in the future.  It is very  hard to know what to do.  Pianoboyz, I wouldn't give up on piano if you like it so much.  Being able to perform with cello wouldn't be worth it if you totally had to forget piano.  I think you could maybe learn both instruments if you wanted.
   I think being able to play with an orchestra would be very exciting.  I was just thinking about practicing my clarinet again after i went to an orchestra performance a couple weeks ago.  Every time I practice clarinet I think that i could be practicing something more interesting, though.  I like being able to breathe too. i'm  just not interested enough in  clarinet it to pursue it.   So maybe you could continue with  both instruments for a while.  If dividing your time between piano and cello drives you crazy, maybe you should give up cello.  You might also find that you like cello more as you get better at it.  If you wanted to focus only on piano, you could still perform anyway.  Is there any way you could go to a college with a bigger music program? you need to have some piano practice rooms!

[pianoboyz]

thank you all for your encouragement.  I will certainly think about seriously devoting myself to the piano in the future.  It is very  hard to know what to do.  Pianoboyz, I wouldn't give up on piano if you like it so much.  Being able to perform with cello wouldn't be worth it if you totally had to forget piano.  I think you could maybe learn both instruments if you wanted.
   I think being able to play with an orchestra would be very exciting.  I was just thinking about practicing my clarinet again after i went to an orchestra performance a couple weeks ago.  Every time I practice clarinet I think that i could be practicing something more interesting, though.  I like being able to breathe too. i'm  just not interested enough in  clarinet it to pursue it.   So maybe you could continue with  both instruments for a while.  If dividing your time between piano and cello drives you crazy, maybe you should give up cello.  You might also find that you like cello more as you get better at it.  If you wanted to focus only on piano, you could still perform anyway.  Is there any way you could go to a college with a bigger music program? you need to have some piano practice rooms!

Thansks lilypiano, so your conclusion is I learn piano better than cello?
 :(Now my college is at a rural place, I need to take bus or train to go to town in order to learn either piano or cello,do I think I need to choose one of them..
Well,actually now all the fees in the college will be paid by my sis. So I can't choose any school by myself, she will help me to made all the decision.
Sometime I quite sad that can't make choice by myself.... 

[pianoboyz]

I forget to ask u Lily and m1469. If I want to give up one of them, should I give up immediately or just wait for the time I go to further study?

[m1469]

I forget to ask u Lily and m1469. If I want to give up one of them, should I give up immediately or just wait for the time I go to further study?

Hi pianoboyz,

Well, of course nobody can actually know whether or not you should give something up, besides you.  Unless it's smoking.... I would encourage anybody to stop smoking .

But seriously, why not do both ?  I realize that you feel like you may not have enough time once school starts, but you are not trying to make an actual career out of either one, right ?

If you are not really trying to make a career out of either one, I don't see any reason to give either one of them up while studying something else.  And there is nothing saying that you cannot still do some performing with each, too.

What is your practicing schedule like between the two of them right now ?


m1469

[pianoboyz]

Hi pianoboyz,

Well, of course nobody can actually know whether or not you should give something up, besides you.  Unless it's smoking.... I would encourage anybody to stop smoking .

But seriously, why not do both ?  I realize that you feel like you may not have enough time once school starts, but you are not trying to make an actual career out of either one, right ?

If you are not really trying to make a career out of either one, I don't see any reason to give either one of them up while studying something else.  And there is nothing saying that you cannot still do some performing with each, too.

What is your practicing schedule like between the two of them right now ?


m1469

 ..I practise four hours each everyday. Well , I have a question. My friend who is grade 3 practical and Grade 4 theory. He also same age with me,19 years old. I would like to ask , If want to make piano as a career, he should practise piano until grade 8 (I means look for a taecher to teach) or look for a college and take a course about music? If he want to perform and teach,so what he should do now?

[canardroti]

There's something  I always wondered. Some people play another instrument than piano, however they love the sound of piano more. So why don't they learn piano instead? Is it because they know it's much harder than their instrument and would rather just  keep with their 1st instrument because they know they can perform? IF I were you, I would then just focus on Cello, and just play piano on the side . 
that is if you prefer performing (could be any instrument)rather than playing the instrument you love the most.

[pianoboyz]

HI all, may I ask a stupid question?
As a new piano learner, what should I do in order to play well?
Please give me some advice.

[m1469]

As a new piano learner, what should I do in order to play well?

Practice well 


ps - that is not a stupid question

[deanslist]

Lily,
You are young and your responsibilities and obligations are much less now that what they might become in the future. This might be one of the best times in your life to change direction if you need or want to do that. If piano is really your passion, go for it. I am not making light of the need for financial security. You may well need to start a different career in order to pay rent, etc. while you develop your skills to the necessary level for graduate study. Thirty is not too late! Or even older. At least, you did start as a child. Maybe my situation will make you feel a littler better.

I'll be 36 next month and I am a stay at home mom, but I also started and run a charity. Just 18 months ago, I took up piano. Before that the extent of my musical experience was singing in amateur choirs for 3.5 years. I am made for music and I have talent that was never noticed or looked for as a child. (When I asked for lessons on any instrument, I was told "no",- probably due to lack of money.) As for piano, I am on the last piece on John Thompson's Modern Course for Piano Second Grade and 2/3 of the way through Hanon. (My teacher still uses it. I learn the exercises and move on. The scales and arpeggios are useful, a few others have been useful in the short term.) As far as I can tell that puts me around early intermediate from the descriptions of other systems. Luckily, (Thank you Bernhard!), I have just learned how to make better use of my practice time. So , I expect my learning will speed up. Also, I will have more practice time available in the fall when my daughter enters Kindergarten. This is all important because I plan to apply to college as a piano performance/pedagogy major in about 5 years. If I don't get in, I will keep working at it until I can.  I have absolute confidence that with hard work and good teachers I can achieve this goal . (My extra maturity might be an asset in that regard.)

I have given some thought to regretting not starting piano much earlier. My conclusion is that if I had started as a child, I would never have had the appreciation for my natural talent and musicality. I would simply have taken it for granted and not approached it with the sense of wonder that I now can. Now I treasure it as a real gift and blessing. It is the one thing that has allowed me to maintain and grow an identity other than 'Mom". (I am not knocking motherhood- it's the best thing I have ever done. But it would be really easy to lose any other sense of identity and self in ways that would not be healthy at all.)

Too much about me  . It is difficult to do something well if you don't like it. Too many people despise what they do for a living.  If piano is your true love vocationally, then plan how to make it work. Good luck in whatever you decide. (Don't believe anyone who tells you that it's too late to change direction -- even 20 or 30 years down the road.)

[lilypiano]

Hi deanslist,
 That's great that you're discovering your love of the piano and really going for it.  My mom started violin when she was 39 and teaches now.  She doesn't have a music degree, but she's good.  She's 54 now. 
  I really don't know what to do.  I was thinking of doing a one year CPA program at UNC and then coming back here to make some money and get better at piano, but i really don't think I would enjoy cpa work.  It might be okay, but i think i might get bored with it.  I do think I would maybe enjoy working in a lab- maybe as a pathologist if I could get into med school.  I think I am going to apply to grad school in cell bio and get a masters from that. From there, I could maybe still try to do piano or apply to med school if I'm interested.   My ear training teacher was just talking about her 30 year old nephew taking the MCAT soon.  She said he had dropped out of college, was kind of wild, and now he's really doing well.  so maybe I shouldn't worry so much about age and where i'm at right now.

[juliax]

Lily,
I did not read the other posts, so this may have already been suggested, but have you tried looking outside of your college for teaching oppurtunity?
I learned to teach piano when I was 18 at a music school.  I recieved proffessional training from the owner of the school and a few different teachers.  I had people all around me to advise me and to answer my questions, and I got really good at it.  Now I do it on my own and make about 10 times the amount of money as I did before at the studio.  
Teaching piano and performing piano are not even close to the same thing.  There are many people who are very talented at their passion (whatever it may be) but do not know how to simplify it enough in order to explain it.  These are the types of things you need to be learning in order to teach, and a private music studio will train you with the skills to make them money, which you can eventually use to make yourself a pretty comfortable living.