When we moved to Thornton Oaks in the spring of 2024, we brought along the baby grand piano, which Tina had inherited from her mother. Deciding that it was a good time to take piano lessons again, I did some research and found Joel Pierce, a 35-year-old teacher who works out of his studio in Topsham. He agreed to come to Thornton Oaks for my lessons.

It takes a special kind of piano teacher to take on an 82-year-old student, but Joel more than fits the bill. Before reporting on the experience, let me highlight Joel’s background. He was raised in a military family, the second youngest of five children. His entire education consisted of homeschooling and taking part in an online Catholic school until his senior year. While singing in the esteemed Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, he loved watching the pianist perform, so he decided to take piano lessons. His grandmother agreed to teach him, and Joel loved it right away.

While his parents let him participate in some of the musical activities (choir, band, orchestra) at Cienega High School in Tucson, he didn’t enroll as a full-time regular student until his senior year.

“The classrooms were chaotic,” he recalls. “It was eye-opening.”

Supported by generous scholarships, he went on to the University of Arizona where he majored in piano performance and organ performance. He took a break after earning his bachelor’s degree to pursue teaching and his many musical interests before returning to earn his master’s. During his years at the university, he performed solo recitals as well as being the accompanist for choral groups, the orchestra and musical theater performances.

While living in Lexington, Massachusetts, as a child, Joel had developed a fondness for New England. He moved to Topsham in 2019, where he and a friend bought a house. He first advertised online to get students, but then business quickly picked up during COVID in 2020, because many teachers quit teaching.

Today, Joel teaches 70 students a week; the ages range from 6–85, although most of them are in middle school. He believes he might have more individual piano students than any other teacher in Maine. He also serves as the music director at the First Congregational Church in Wiscasset. Oh, to be young again.

Joel’s approach to teaching is highly individual.

“Every student is different,” he says. “I tailor the lesson to the student.” For example, I want to learn enough to produce a halfway decent sound playing pieces that appeal to me. Examples from musical theater: “Try to Remember” from “The Fantastiks,” “Send in the Clowns” from “A Little Night Music” and “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables.” Examples from classical music: “The Swan” by Saint-Saens, Mozart’s “Theme from Elvira Madigan” and “Themes from Eine Klein,” “Ave Maria” by Gounod,” and the music students’ standard “Fur Elise” by Beethoven.

Joel gently weavers in tips during every half hour lesson: “Play with your shoes on for better pedaling … put quarters on the backs of your hands while playing scales until you can play them so the quarters don’t fall off … tackle the hardest parts of a piece first, playing them over and over and over again … practice the right hand first, then the left hand, then put them together … play slowly at first until you know the notes and then pick up the pace … don’t worry about the dynamics too much until you have the notes right … it pays to memorize when you can, especially the difficult parts … play in short sessions (e.g. two 20- or 30-minute sessions are better than one longer session)” and on and on.

When I’m thinking of tackling a new, more difficult piece, I’ll ask Joel “Is this piece too hard for me?” He’ll say, “No. I would say so if I thought you couldn’t handle it.” He gave me the go-ahead on a challenging (for me) version of the first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” a piece my dad used to play.

Joel sends a succinct email to me after every lesson, highlighting points to remember. He uses Google Docs for commentary for most students.

I do get frustrated sometimes, especially when trying to learn a difficult passage. But I persist. I think I’m making some progress. I know I enjoy the experience. If nothing else, I’ve heard that learning to play music is good for your brain.

During one lesson, Joel told me that he was going to watch the Van Cliburn International Music Competition that night on You Tube.

“How do you feel when you watch those people playing like that?” I asked.

“I think I better practice,” he said.

Wow! I better end this piece right now. I think I better practice.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes comments and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtrreadw575@aol.com.