Why did George Gershwin receive piano lessons instead of his older brother Ira?

The family originally purchased a second-hand upright piano with the intention that George’s older brother, Ira, would learn to play the instrument. However, George surprised his family by demonstrating a natural aptitude for the piano, having taught himself to play a popular song by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano. Impressed by this display of talent, his parents decided that George, rather than Ira, should be the one to receive formal piano lessons.1