I grew up in the 70s and 80s in Mississippi, and I learned a great deal from listening to my older siblings practice for their piano lessons. I have very early memories of sitting in my mom’s lap while she would play and sing from a Walt Disney song book. I still remember the book art.
Perhaps this is why one of my first attractions to music was for song form. The works of Billy Joel played a huge influence. When no one else was home after school I would listen to vinyl records and play along. I learned a great deal from this.
I remember the magical feeling of learning from Mr. Joel that when playing a C Major chord, you don’t need an E in the Right Hand if it’s present in the bass. A wonderful introduction to Bachian voice leading! I remember playing with the headphones on late at night when everyone else was asleep and discovering how to play the sharp 9 chord I had just heard Paul Shaffer use on Late Night with David Letterman. I didn’t know what the chord was called at the time, but it didn’t matter. It’s these kinds of self-learning experiences I want to foster for my students now.
Then I began formal instruction, first with Ouida Graves when I was a child, and later with Lois Leventhal at the University of Southern Mississippi. They were both great personal models of how to teach with warmth and excellence. Mrs. Graves taught me the importance of tone, and Dr. Leventhal taught me that I can play like a beast and have consistency, too!