Tom(Tommy) fell in love with Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” from our recording of the soundtrack from the movie, The Sting. Nothing would do until his Mom taught him to play it on the piano. His Mom, Elizabeth, did a good job of getting Tom started on his way to becoming an accomplished piano player, beginning at the age of 3-and-a-half years. His Mom and I had purchased, some years earlier, an old upright piano that you could envision in an old-time Southern Baptist church. It probably contained memories of countless gospel songs and hymns in its beautiful oak wood. I recall it had the manufacturers’ name of “Bell” on the keyboard cover. At any rate, it was established in the designated guest room in the home in Plano, Texas. One day, when Tommy was still not 4 years of age, I could hear him playing the piano as I walked down the hall passing by the guest room. As I passed, I glanced in to see Tommy playing while wearing a beach-toy plastic bucket over his head, blocking his view of the keyboard. He explained he was checking to see if he could play without seeing the keys. He could. One of us took a picture of the “bucket test”, which his Mom should have still in her possession.
In time, Tommy learned all of the ragtime songs from the soundtrack recording.
Thomas David, the Dad
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