Tony Evans was at the School waiting for one of his daughters to finish her violin lesson when he heard a young boy playing a hymn on our lobby piano. Tony knew the hymn so he went over and sat down beside the boy, adding some chords on the lower end. They sounded good together! Turns out the boy, Josue, had been taking piano lessons at JoMS, but his teacher had recently quit. He was deeply upset about this.
Someone told Tony that Josue stood in our hallway and cried when he heard the news. “I just thought, ‘This is wrong for me not to teach him,’ Tony recalls. “He’s very good.” That was three years ago, and ever since, Josue and Tony have met Tuesday evenings for piano lessons. Tony describes their sessions as the highlight of his week. “I think I was directed to be there in the School that day,” he says. “I don’t think anything happens by accident.” He adds: “Josue has such a good attitude. And he’s got perfect pitch.”
Tony’s a Knoxville native and a longtime local musician. He played in a handful of garage bands in the 1970s and ‘80s, bashing away at the guitar with his long hair flowing behind him. These days Tony is a doctor of audiology and runs the AudioLife Hearing Center in Knoxville. His firm donated a set of high-end Unitron hearing aids to the silent auction at our Holiday Sparkles & Spirits fundraiser event (see page 1). What a great way to share the joy of music: helping someone hear it better.
Thanks Tony, for your generous donation and for your time with Josue!
Joy of Music School 