Many events in our lives are pivotal and affect us forever. One such moment, for me, Rita Barnea, and many others, was our first accordion lesson! Do you remember yours? How did your first accordion lesson and your teacher impact your life? Please share this moment with our readers. Please send me your thoughts and feelings etc. about your first accordion lesson, your teacher, and how it influenced your life.
Renee Mendenhall, student of the great Joseph Soprani, kindly shares her memorable experience with Joe, her first accordion teacher:
“One evening in December, 2011, I was searching for music resources on the internet to share with my school students. I stumbled upon a video of a young man playing a beautiful French tune from the movie, Amelie, on his accordion. I was immediately captivated and thought with excitement, “I have to play this instrument!” I knew little about the accordion, even though I was well versed in many other instruments as a middle school band director.
I was fortunate to have a colleague whose husband owned a music store. Within a few days, I had my first accordion in my hands, a small black and white Excelsior Accordiana model. My colleague and her husband suggested I contact their friend, Joseph Soprani, to inquire about the possibility of taking accordion lessons.
Within a short time, I was sitting in Joe’s office ready for my first lesson. The walls were covered in certificates and newspaper articles, evidence of an accomplished career. I was grateful to have the opportunity to study with such a skilled musician. Every two or three weeks, Joe and I met on Saturday mornings for music lessons. He was generous with his time, often keeping me longer than expected. I could tell he was genuinely interested in my progress, and I came to view him as a grandfatherly figure. He was warm and friendly and always excited to share his wealth of knowledge on the accordion. We worked through the classic Palmer Hughes Accordion Series. I looked forward to the occasions when Joe demonstrated the lesson material on his personal instrument.
Life became busier, and I stopped taking lessons from Joe. I would check in every now and then on the phone and go to lunch with him and his lovely wife, Jennie. In the meantime, I had many fun experiences with the accordion: busking on the streets, using it to accompany my original songs in song-writing events, playing for church congregations and retirement homes, performing for a local volunteer stage company, and playing in a mandolin orchestra.
Several years passed, until Joe reached out to me with a proposition. He declared, “How about I give you accordion lessons if you help me write a book about my life?” I was in need of a creative project and wanting to get more serious about my accordion playing, so I happily agreed to the idea. We started collaborating. I came to his home for lessons and interview sessions. He brought out many boxes of photographs, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and programs. Initially, the task seemed daunting with the question of “Where do we begin?” but as time went by, the story began to unfold.
As we discussed the direction of this book, Joe admitted, “I find it very difficult to talk about myself;” therefore, it only seemed natural for this book to be told from one of his student’s perspectives. I am honored to be chosen for that role and happy to give him the praise and recognition he deserves!”
For further information about Renee Mendenhall::
Alarlm301@gmail.com
You are invited to submit your story with photos on your first accordion lesson. We at AWW are interested! Please submit your article to: Ritabelll@aol.com
