The purpose

This scholarship, created by Joan Skall Kaufman's sister, Charlotte Skall Blank, was developed as a tribute to Joanie’s immense love of the instrument and the gifts she brought to others in her lifetime. It will go to a child in need, age 6 or above, to pay for piano lessons at The Music Settlement. The Music Settlement is a qualified charitable organization. To donate, you may give here or mail checks to The Music Settlement, Attention: Annie Schwarz, 11125 Magnolia Drive, University Circle, OH 44106. And thank you!

Joanie's story

At the age of 6, Cleveland native Joanie began taking piano lessons, beginning a lifelong love of the instrument.

From the start, she enjoyed practicing and never had to be told to do so. As a child, she sent birthday cards to her favorite classical composers because she did not believe that the creators of such beautiful music were not alive.

At the age of 15, with the encouragement of her brother and sister, Malcolm and Charlotte Skall, she switched to popular music. While she wanted to learn “Tea for Two” first, because it was her mother, Mildred’s favorite song of the day, her teacher Jack Jones said it was too difficult and taught her “Blue Room.”

Later, she took lessons with cocktail pianist Eddy Ryan, who in the 1960s played at Stouffer’s Tack Room at Shaker Square backed by Bill Bandy on bass, and in her 80s took lessons with George Foley, whom she sometimes filled in for on his breaks at gigs.

She practiced daily even after she retired from regular volunteer gigs at nursing homes and health care facilities in Greater Cleveland, including University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, Menorah Park, Hope Lodge, Judson Park, and the Hospice of the Western Reserve.

Starting at age 38, for more than 45 years, Joanie played piano regularly, developing friendships with patients, residents and staff at each, and wearing a colorful array of hats and flamboyant outfits that dazzled and amused her audiences.

Generous, compassionate with a whimsical, self-deprecating sense of humor, she encouraged others to sing and to play with her.

She was down to earth, kind and easily related to people of all ages and walks of life. She made a particular point of remembering the names of clerks and cashiers with whom she interacted regularly and made even the most fleeting interactions positive and light. She particularly liked to see others smile.

She was an art collector, supporting local artists and crafters, and a fan of local music talent. An avid knitter, she appreciated both color and texture, giving homemade blankets to family and friends in colors of their choosing. An inventive cook who entertained casually at home, she delivered her own freshly baked rye bread to friends.

Born February 16, 1932, she graduated from Hathaway Brown in 1949, attended the former Briarcliff Junior College in White Plains, New York, and afterward worked in New York City’s R.C.A. building during the 1950s. She lived with two roommates at the Barbizon Hotel at the time. She then relocated to Chicago to live with her parents, David Greenfield Skall and Mildred Korach Skall, in the mid-1950s and worked at J. Walter Thompson as a secretary.

In visits to Cleveland, she met a Virginia-born lawyer, Jules L. Kaufman, whom she married Nov. 7, 1957. When her two children, David and Jane, were young, she volunteered at the Rainey Institute, the Cleveland Sight Center, and as a tutor in Shaker Heights schools. The couple lived in Cleveland near Shaker Square.

She died at the age of 88 Sept. 5, 2020. That age coincides with the number of keys on the piano.

Following are links to several articles and videos illustrating Joanie's love of music:

Ashokan Western and Swing Youtube Video--A Joanie Classic

MassLive: This Mom Makes a Vacation Swing

Shaker Life: Play it Again, Mom

MassLive: Sequel to a Jazz Party Proves to Be Just as Much Fun

The Joan Skall Kaufman Endowed Piano Scholarship

By The Music Settlement

The Joan Skall Kaufman Endowed Piano Scholarship

Ensuring her lifelong affair with the piano lives on in others...