Cellist Shatters Misconceptions About Adult Learning

Cellist Biana Kovic taught 89-year-old Matty Kahn how to play the cello in 5 weeks. Kovic documented the process in the film "Virtuoso."

When cellist Biana Kovic taught at a summer music workshop in northern Maine in her 20s, she encountered a man in his 80s who had traveled from Boston to study the cello with her. He had made the drive alone. She asked him what motivated him to get in a car by himself and drive more than 300 miles for cello lessons. “He told me that his love for music and cello kept him going; at that point, I realized that for some people, playing the cello was more than just having music in their lives – it was the very ‘oxygen’ that kept them alive.”

Kovic, now 35, teaches cello to adults through her New York studio It’s Never 2 Late Inc. – Cello Studio for Adults and produced and directed the short film Virtuoso, an award-winning documentary about a five-week period during which Kovic teaches an 89-year-old woman to play the cello.

Virtuoso was inspired by a  conversation: “My friend had read in the newspaper that most people ‘die with music in their hearts.’ I was so moved by the statement, that I began to wonder what it would take to give an opportunity to a person, who always had a dream of learning to play the cello, to actually do it.”

Music After 50 talked to Kovic about the capacity for adults to learn music later in life, and about the making of Virtuoso.

LRG: What is the biggest misconception about adult learners?

BK: There are two misconceptions about adult learners: One is that adult students cannot learn to play an instrument well, especially if they start later in life. The second is that adult students learn to play an instrument at a slower pace than children.

I think that both misconceptions are partially due to the fact that adult students give up playing an instrument faster than children. Children have parents that support them to learn and get them to regularly attend lessons. Adults, on the other hand, depend solely on their own enthusiasm, curiosity and love for music. So, if life gets busy, and going to lessons becomes challenging, there is a good chance that adult students may stop their studies, and tell you they’ll come back later when everything gets back to ‘normal.’ But very often, that doesn’t happen. Adult students do not often have the support they need in order to continue.

Encouragement and understanding by adults are the strongest advantages that children have over adults. While adults are working toward making their lives ‘normal’ and waiting for that perfect opportunity, children are continuously learning and growing as players.

LRG: When did you start playing the cello, and where did you study? 

BK: I started playing the cello when I was six years old and I progressed very quickly. I had seen the cello in an orchestra, and asked my parents if I could learn to play it. I liked it because it was the biggest instrument; I couldn’t see the bass from where I was sitting. At the age of 16, I enrolled at the University of Musical Arts [in Serbia] and graduated in four years.  I have performed at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, Cami Hall, Zankel Hall, The Open Center, The Tibetan House and Avery Fisher Hall. I also continued my musical and teacher training at Suzuki Institutes in Chicago and Connecticut; and at the NLP Center of New York. Currently I am working on my MS degree in Educational Psychology and Methodology at SUNY.

LRG: You told me that adults learn more quickly than children; why is that?

BK: Adults have the ability to assess incoming information quickly and, if it’s not clear, they will ask questions that yield solutions. Also, adults can focus for long periods of time, especially if they are interested in and enjoy the activity they are doing.

LRG: What percentage of your students never played as children?

BK: About 80% of my students never played the cello or any other instrument as children. Such was the case of a former student of mine who saw a guy playing the cello in the subway and had an instant connection with the sound and the shape of the cello. The next day he showed up at the school in which I was teaching and asked me to teach him to play the cello. Now, five years later, he plays in his church and community orchestra.

His example, along with stories of many other adult students whom I have taught, have showed me that there is no disadvantage in beginning to learn an instrument without previous experience. It would be wonderful if we could all have done it while we were young, but some people get a chance and some people don’t.  The key to our progress now is to give ourselves a fair chance to experience the positive influence that active music participation can create in our lives.

LRG: How long did it take you to get Virtuoso off the ground?

BK: I spent one year raising funds for the project, called “Never2Late,” and looking for a volunteer who would be interested in learning to play the cello and allow me to document the learning process.

LRG: Was it easy to find someone to “star” in the film?

BK: Looking for a volunteer was very difficult. I went to many senior centers and spoke about the Never2Late Project and its purpose. I expressed my thoughts on the benefits of music and musical training. Many people felt that they were either too old or too ill to devote themselves to learning a new skill. The people who showed an interest in participating in the project were discouraged by their families and eventually dropped out. 

In late February of 2006, at my sister’s suggestion, I went to the 92nd Street Y to promote the Never2Late Project. I spoke about it, and Matty Kahn, 89-year-old artist from New York, was one of the people who showed an interest. She was very excited, enthusiastic, and ready to begin learning immediately.

Within a week, I prepared a shooting schedule and lesson plan. We started the lessons and filming in March 2006.  I arranged the shooting schedule so that the crew came to Matty’s home on every Thursday of that March to document how Matty learned and adapted to the cello. In addition to filming, Matty practiced every day for 10 to 15 minutes. On Mondays, Wednesday, and sometimes Saturdays, I went to Matty’s apartment to teach her in 25- to 30-minute-long lessons. The last week of March, we asked Matty what she would like to do on the last day of filming. Her suggestion was to talk to us about her experience and then play a few lines of a French folk song.

LRG: How did your volunteer, Matty Kahn, feel about the experience?

BK: Matty’s feedback was that her focus, dexterity, and agility had tremendously improved within only a month of cello lessons. She also felt happier, because one of her dreams came true.

My goal with Virtuoso was to show that age does not have to define how we see ourselves and what we can or cannot do. I wanted people to recognize, by witnessing Matty’s learning curve, that it is never too late to learn and that there are benefits to harvest from any learning experience, no matter the length of it.  

Ever since Virtuoso was made, I have had the honor of showing it to numerous senior centers and film festivals. The film was awarded with two first-prizes, one at the South Africa International Film Festival and the other at the British Film Festival of Los Angeles. 

LRG: What does the future hold for you, as far as the film, teaching, or other projects?

BK: My biggest dream is for people to be inspired by Virtuoso. As a teacher, I recognize that learning does not stop with aging and that there are many benefits that come with musical training. I hope to travel nationally to present Virtuoso to a wider audience and discuss the importance of music, musical training, and learning.

LRG: Watch a 2-minute clip of Virtuoso on YouTube.