... 1880, the family was living in Texarkana, which straddled the border between Texas and Arkansas. At the age of seven, Joplin started taking piano lessons in a neighbor's house in return for his mother's labor. His German teacher, Julius Weiss, was a private tutor to the ... children in Texarkana in the late 1870s. Weiss gave Joplin free lessons and exposure to European art music. He had a profound influence on young Joplin, helping shape his ambitions to excel both culturally and musically. Because of ... 's roots are in cakewalks, minstrel-show plantation songs, black folk music, work s...

• Word Count: 3626
• Approx Pages: 15
• Has Bibliography