My 2026 Piano Goals & What I’m Working On

Hello! Welcome to 2026. It’s time for a fresh start and some proper accountability.

I published a post back in November about what piano pieces I’m working on, and whilst I’ve made some progress, I’ve also realised I need to set some clear goals for the year ahead. I struggle to stick to a consistent routine, but I’m hoping that writing it all out will help me stay on track.

My Piano Goals for 2026

I’m keeping things realistic this year. I know myself well enough to know that if I set too many ambitious goals, I’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and giving up entirely. So here’s what I’m committing to:

Play at least 4 hours a week

This works out to roughly 30-35 minutes a day if I practise most days. Some weeks will be better than others, but I think this is achievable even with a busy life. The key is consistency rather than marathon practice sessions that leave me burnt out.

Get back into posting on social media

I really miss sharing my piano journey! My goal is to post small piano updates to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts regularly. Nothing fancy, just little snippets of what I’m working on. I find it so motivating when I’m actively sharing my progress, and the piano community on these platforms is incredibly supportive.

Film one piece per month for YouTube

This is the big one. I want to have at least 12 recorded pieces by the end of 2026. They don’t all have to be perfect performances, but I need to get better at actually finishing pieces and recording them rather than constantly starting new ones.

I’m kicking off January by recording Almost June this week as it’s already ready to film!

What I’m Currently Working On

Right, let’s talk about where I’m at with my pieces. Some of these are carryovers from my last update, and a couple are new additions.

Schumann Grade 7 ABRSM Untitled Piece (B1)

Still working on this one! I’ve been chipping away at this piece for a while now, but I stopped practising it for a bit. There are some sections I need to drill down on, particularly the faster passages, but this will probably be the first thing I’m able to record properly.

It’s frustrating because I was quite close before I lost momentum, but I’m determined to get this one finished and filmed.

Musical Sketch by Mendelssohn

This is the Grade 7 B3 piece. I started the first page a few weeks ago, then stopped (are we sensing a pattern here?!). This will probably take me the longest to learn out of everything I’m working on.

Mendelssohn has this way of sounding deceptively simple, but then you sit down to play it and realise there’s so much nuance to get right. I’m not rushing this one though – I’d rather take my time and really understand it.

At The Evening Window – Freidlin

I could have probably filmed this one as well if I had carried on practising it consistently! I was close to finishing this piece back in the summer, but it fell by the wayside. I’m still getting this up to speed again, but hopefully it won’t take too long to get back to where I was.

This is one of those pieces that feels lovely to play, so I’m quite motivated to get it performance-ready.

Beethoven Sonata Pathétique Movement 2

Oh, this one. This is my new favourite piece and will probably be my year-long project. I’ve got the first page done and I would absolutely love to get this to memory!

There’s something about this movement that just speaks to me. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and whilst it’s challenging, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Every time I sit down to play it, I get lost in the music, which is exactly the feeling I chase with the piano.

I’m not putting pressure on myself to finish this quickly. If it takes me the whole year, that’s fine. I want to really inhabit this piece.

Einaudi Pieces

There are also three Einaudi pieces that I could probably film pretty soon if I put my mind to it: Almost June, Natural Light and Nobody Knows from Underwater.

I usually play Einaudi to chill out, as it’s quite simple and repetitive in terms of notes, but there’s so much room to be expressive with dynamics and pedalling. I love Einaudi for exactly this reason – it’s not technically demanding, but it allows me to focus on musicality and interpretation.

As I mentioned earlier, Almost June is ready to go, so that’ll be my first recording of the year!

Returning to Previous Pieces

I also want to come back to the other pieces I mentioned in my last post and get them fit to record. This includes:

• Schumann Sonata in G Major – I was working on the first movement of this longer piece
• Allegro moderato by Haydn – Got the first three pages done before I burnt out
• Mazurka in A minor by Chopin – I really could have filmed this one; I just struggled with the trills!

It’s a bit embarrassing how many half-finished pieces I have sitting there, but that’s also what makes them such good candidates for this year. They’re not starting from scratch, so with a bit of focused practice, I should be able to get several of them performance-ready fairly quickly.

Why I’m Sharing This

Honestly? Accountability. I know I’m not the only adult learner who struggles with consistency and finishing what they start. Life gets busy, motivation waxes and wanes, and sometimes the piano takes a backseat to everything else.

But I also know that when I do prioritise piano practice, I’m so much happier. There’s something incredibly grounding about sitting down at the keyboard, even for just half an hour. It’s my time to switch off from everything else and just focus on the music.

So here’s to 2026. Here’s to four hours a week, twelve recorded pieces, and regular social media updates. Here’s to actually finishing the Pathétique and getting comfortable with those Schumann pieces.

And most importantly, here’s to enjoying the journey rather than constantly chasing some impossible standard of perfection.

If you’re an adult learner too, I’d love to hear what your piano goals are for this year! Drop me a message on Instagram or TikTok – let’s keep each other accountable.

Right, I’m off to record Almost June. Wish me luck!