I was about 9 when my parents bought me an old upright piano and agreed to weekly lessons. Up to that point, most things I tried came pretty easy to me. I excelled at reading, buzzing through Dick and Jane books with ease and by that age I was able to follow a recipe well enough to bake brownies from scratch. I’m sure I assumed piano would be similar especially since my first grade teacher, Mrs. Cabrera, was also my piano teacher.