Debut for Andrew
Every month at my church, a group of retired folks meet together for a luncheon. The members take turns planning the program which could be anything from "Happy New Year" in January to "Happy 4th" in July. Since June is a popular month for weddings, two clever sisters chose that as their theme.
I was home for the summer, so I offered to provide background music of classic wedding tunes while everyone enjoyed their meal. From the Bridal March to Hornpipe, everyone loved remembering the sounds they heard as they walked down the aisle, whether that was 5 or 55 years ago. Although I have played these songs a countless number of times, this was a very special performance for me.
Meet Andrew, my little brother who has Down Syndrome. My buddy and I have a lot in common. We both love Disney, we love singing as loudly as we can, we like riding in the car together, we're both really good at Mario Kart and we love all kinds of musical instruments. Naturally, Andrew has a violin. Although our family hears his daily concerts on anything from kazoo to piano, he wanted his church friends to hear him play violin. That's what a musician does, after all.
He threw the idea at me the night before the luncheon. "Hey! Why don't I take my violin, too?" Well then, it's time to practice. We unpacked his violin and I positioned his bow in the right spot. We haven't quite learned the left hand yet, but that's ok because we decided to play Canon in D together. All he had to do was play the "D" part. He was quite ready for his debut.
After I played a couple of songs I invited Andrew to join me. Never was there a happier boy as he took a bow after his performance. I was so proud! But he was even prouder. Everyone was so sweet to him and wanted him to continue playing with me. They all gave us a standing ovation at the end of our performance and when they kept clapping, Andrew kept bowing. He had been to enough concerts to know that! Every time one of the sweet ladies would say "I didn't know you could play like your sister," his heart overflowed with joy. It was a happy day.