There were several times when I was growing that mom started teaching me piano. I wouldn’t practice as often as I should, and I never made it very far into the lesson books to anything advanced. At some point, mom negotiated with Mrs. Dean Norville to give my sister and I piano lessons and in return, she would give lessons to “Miss Dean’s” girls. This seemed to be a better plan for getting me to practice and learn something that I would use the rest of my life.
Miss Dean played piano for a family gospel called The Jones Family. Her brother and sisters sang in this group. We knew them well and heard them perform often. Because I had some musical ability, Miss Dean started me in some more advanced books. She was also teaching me to play piano the way she played. This was a more gospel style and would serve me well in years to come in developing my own way of playing.
At the same time, my sister started lessons as a beginner. She was playing more simple songs than me, more like the songs I remember mom teaching her students. My sister has told me that this was a frustrating time for her. She would hear me practicing “real” songs while she had to play “baby” songs. She didn’t realize at the time that I didn’t enjoy the songs in my lessons. About half of my practice time was devoted to me abandoning the new songs I was supposed to be learning and just playing the bass and chords that I was more comfortable with. When I practiced my new songs, I was having to actually read music and play in keys that didn’t come naturally to me. What my sister heard more often than not was me falling into my regular method of playing, which sounded more natural and comfortable than when I was struggling to pound out the songs in my lessons.
The lessons only lasted one year. I learned more during that time than I realized. Miss Dean is a talented lady and a great teacher. She was very gracious to this reluctant student.