Can you become a serious pianist without becoming a professional?

Maybe learning piano has been on your bucket list for a while, and you are finally willing to take it seriously – does that mean you need to become a professional? There is a general assumption that being serious about a sport, profession or even hobby automatically means pursuing it professionally. As if there needs to be credibility in claiming, “I have started to take it seriously.” Many adult pianists have careers, families and other commitments but still want to become accomplished musicians. It is as though there are two unofficial boxes people can categorise you into: playing piano casually as [...]