MY MUSIC TEACHER
Mrs. Nancy Clements taught me how to play piano. She was larger, and had a demeanor of being in charge, when she was my teacher. Here she stands with nephew Herbert Morehouse (my uncle, husband of mother's sister Iris) and husband Smith Clements. It is probably a birthday or anniversary. Isn't she a cute little thing with her hair got up in red curls, topped with a raft of blue ribbons? The piano behind them was where I sat of a Saturday morning.
Mrs. Clements never played for us, just striking an occasional note or sequence to demonstrate a point. She had not played since her mother died. She taught piano full time at the Presbyterian Orphanage in Lynchburg for many years.
I remember the cooking odors while I was taking my lessons, she would be cooking the Saturday meals while she taught. The last time I saw her, Mrs. Clements cooked a large dinner for my cousin Stevie Morehouse and I.
And there was a pretty girl that came to take a lesson right after my time. I remember that she spoke to me once when we met in Miller Park. I didn't know how to respond, so lost a chance to talk with a pretty girl.
Mrs. Clements entered me to participate in a recital for local music students; to be held at Lynchburg College. She was afraid I would not show up, so asked me to provide transportation for her. For an adult to ask a teenager to drive them anywhere is an act of faith.
