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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 21, 2008

JACKSON HEIGHTS - No sooner have the little hands knocked on Helen Morrison's front door than they are in position on the piano keys, plunking out songs.

The youngsters come from around the county to the small, spare room to learn from a woman who has been teaching piano for about 40 years.

"I like playing the piano because it makes your mind think," said Jalen White, 9, of Ybor City. "And Mrs. Morrison is a nice person."

Morrison started giving private lessons in the late 1960s at her Morrison Music Studio while a music teacher for the school district. She taught at Dunbar Elementary, and Orange Grove and Franklin middle schools before retiring in 1985.

At 76, Morrison's passion is undimmed. Last year, her studio received nonprofit status, allowing her to offer scholarships and reduced rates for lessons.

"Children today who are in less-advantaged areas don't have the outlet to use their inborn talents to do something other than sit on the porch and do nothing all day," she said.

Morrison said she charges $37 a month for four hourlong group lessons. Private lessons are $65 for four 30-minute sessions. Scholarships are funded by donations from her friends and family. With nonprofit status, she is researching grants and other assistance.

"I'm the only African-American music teacher in this area," Morrison said. "That was disheartening to me that the kids weren't taking piano lessons here in my neighborhood. On the whole, it was, 'I'm going to baseball practice,' or 'I'm going to football practice.'"

She attributes that to economic disadvantages and parents not being exposed to music lessons as children or not knowing where to find lessons. She said the benefits of music lessons are endless.

"The more they study music, the more their cognitive senses jump in," Morrison said. "The eye work, the ear work, the paying attention - they boost these things in the academic area. It boosts their self-esteem."

Evonne Rhodes-Green drives from Town 'N Country to bring her 4-year-old daughter, Madison, to piano lessons. She heard about Morrison through friends at First Baptist Church of College Hill, where she and Morrison are members.

"I think it's important she is in classes taught by an ethnic teacher. It helps her grasp her own culture," Rhodes-Green said. "I want her to see this leadership model."

Morrison began taking piano lessons in the seventh grade. She comes from a family of musicians and practiced on the childhood piano purchased for her mother.

Morrison moved to Tampa from New Orleans in 1955. Her husband, Robert, had accepted a job as a pharmacist. Before his retirement, he owned Morrison Drugs and Surgical Appliances in West Tampa and the couple's East Tampa neighborhood.

Morrison said there's a need for what she offers, but she's limited by her small space. During group lessons, four children work on digital keyboards in the center of the room while parents wait in chairs against the wall or on a bench in the foyer.

A bigger studio would help. Morrison dreams of a place with a performance room, a waiting room for families and a computer room for practicing written and aural music theory.

She said she has contacted the city's parks and recreation department and the Tampa Housing Authority about finding a space but hasn't gotten far.

"We just need that one angel to help us out," Morrison said.

NOTES ON LESSONS

For information about Morrison Music Studio, call Helen Morrison at (813) 247-2394 or (813) 241-4030.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com. To view an audio slide show about Helen Morrison, go to south tampa.tbo.com or central tampa.tbo.com, keyword: Notes on Giving.

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