A Loving Legacy

I want to talk about my piano teacher from 2nd grade through all of high school, the beautiful and talented Helen Cantlin, also known as Helen Scott!

Helen E. Cantlin - April 5th, 1917 - May 19th, 2010

Helen was a local legend in her day, playing requests at The Steakhouse in Ottawa and Mass at the Earlville Catholic Church. She was also an entertainer for the troops in Europe in World War II. She was 60 years old when I started lessons in 1977, so I never knew her in youthful cuteness that we see here. But she was still spunky!

I remember my first piano lesson with her in the Prairie Center house where I teach now. She spoke of herself in the third person, saying stuff like, "Helen needs you to cut your nails!" or, "Helen wants you to play with curved fingers." I remember thinking, "Okay, Lady, but who is Helen?"

Her stubbornness and my own were quite a match! If I didn't like or love a song, I didn't want to practice. If I didn't achieve her expectations, I had to stick with the song until it was mastered. There was no getting out of it.

My sister and I would take a school bus to Helen's house for our lessons on Mondays after school. She had pianos in every room, and Hammond organs with the big Leslie speakers. She even had a little travel piano in her kitchen! Our lessons were an hour each, so we stayed for two hours, playing the whole time in our separate rooms, plus she served us snacks. Snacks were English muffins with cheddar cheese spread and the lunch meat that came in ziplock pouches served on fine china! She also made us real hot chocolate with whipped cream out of the spray can! If her kitchen table was too messy, she just covered it all up with a dish towel!

I took my daughters to visit Helen in a Mendota nursing home when they were little. My youngest daughter had on a cute little outfit with a black sequined vest. Helen LOVED that outfit! Stage clothes! She lovingly held my daughters hands, inspecting their fingers for piano potential!

The nursing home had a piano, so I played the Chopin Etude in E Major that Helen taught me in jr. high. Helen said, "You play well! With whom did you study?" I said, "YOU taught me that, Helen!" She said, "I'm sorry, Honey. I don't remember."

Here's the story of the Charles R. Walter in the picture. When I was in 8th grade I took a sick day from school. I was needing a new piano because I had beat the living daylights out of the Kohler & Campbell my parents got us as a starter piano from Farmer's Music Barn in Ottawa. Helen called that day, saying that an old friend was visiting and he had two pianos he wanted to sell before he went back to Colorado, two Charles R. Walters. Helen was buying one and if my parents were willing, I could have my pick of the two. We went over to Helen's quickly on that late winter day. One piano was already in Helen's house and one was in this guy's truck. I played them both and picked the one in the truck. I never changed my mind about that. That's the piano in the picture below!

Not many people have one teacher for eleven years straight, but I did!

The beautiful and talented Helen Cantlin!