By VICKI BROWN
Walterboro is lucky that Janet Dubois made her way here.
Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, she had never been to South Carolina and had no plans to even visit the state. But life for her took a different turn.
Dubois loved the piano from the time she was 8-years-old. Her father enjoyed playing on a piano in the home. He had taken lessons at a college in Iowa and played often. She grew to love it and that love took her to majoring in music in college.
After Dubois graduated with a masters from Northwestern University with a degree in piano and music theory, she interviewed for a job in Chicago.
During that interview, a gentleman from Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C. became interested in having her teach there. She was offered a job at Limestone and came to the south. For many years she taught piano and music theory there.
After Limestone, she came to USC Salkehatchie’s Walterboro campus in 1987 to work. It was a small school then, so she helped out in office and taught introduction to music…a music history course, and piano while teaching piano students in her home and playing for the worship services at the First Baptist Church of Walterboro.
She has been doing that here for 35 years and has no plans to stop. She is 85 years young and never married but says that her students are her children as well as her five cats.
Over the years she has taught hundreds of budding pianists, and can’t remember all of the names, but one really “stood out” not only because he now plays and composes music with a jazz quartet, but because he was six feet, nine inches tall. In the old days Harry Pickins could play a lot of instruments, even a baritone, but took piano lessons from Dubois. Eventually he went on to make and record CDs and write a book entitled “In Tune: From A Life of Music.”
Music has always been a vital part of DuBois’ life.
“The best part of being a piano teacher is seeing the good effects music has on people,” she said. “This is a good time to just sit and listen to music to escape the pandemic. Almost everyone loves music and it helps people. It adds an element that stays with people. They remember a lot of things musically as they get older. It can bring back a wonderful memory,” she added.
The worst part, she says, is when people tell her that they have something else they have to do and miss several lessons in a row. “They lose their momentum, and it slows their progress,” said DuBois.
She feels blessed that she has been able to teach music full time at Salk and give piano lessons part time for all of these years. She still teaches a class or two at Salk where she was once named Teacher of the Year, as well as teaching piano to students at her home, but that has all stopped due to the pandemic. She is hoping to have her piano students come back soon so they can finish their lessons. She misses her students, children as well as adults, who she says were very promising. “No one is too old to learn to play. My oldest student is 82,” said DuBois. “I have had a good many students who are older and come to Salk; we play together on the piano. It’s more fun.”
No one knows exactly how long she has been the pianist at First Baptist Church, but everyone agrees that it has been a long, long time. Dubois has recently decided to slow down a little and play only for special organ and piano duets at the church instead of every Sunday. To honor her for her many years of contributing to worship as the church pianist, she was presented with a gold watch, a check and flowers.
“I have always loved music, and especially the piano. I encourage people to take piano lessons. Other instruments are wonderful, but the basis for learning music comes from the piano,” said DuBois. “It can be fun and challenging.” Anyone who would like to take lessons from her can contact Salk and leave a message.
