We’ve always had a musical household, which is kind of funny since Kami and I aren’t very musical at all. It started when Megan was in kindergarten and wanted to play violin. After a few years she switched to piano and then added clarinet in fourth grade. When Christian was in kindergarten he started piano with Megan’s teacher and moved to drums in first grade.
During this time, Jeffrey didn’t really seem to have any interest at all with playing a musical instrument and we were ok with that. However, our awesome piano teacher, Kara, was going back to school for music therapy and offered to give Jeffrey some lessons as part of her program. Of course he was excited to get started since he could be like his brother and sister.
They started with the basics of beat and rhythm, and Jeffrey couldn’t wait for Kara to come back each week. She would bring her djembe and guitar and they would have a blast. At the same time, Christian’s drum teacher gave Jeffrey his old bass guitar. He would walk around the house strumming that sucker and singing at the top of his lungs. The problem was that it was too long and heavy for him, and he kept banging it into all of the doorframes and walls.
So we decided for his 11th birthday we would give him a guitar. (It was my old guitar that I used when I was taking lessons for a few months before Christian was born.) He was so excited! He didn’t take this guitar off his shoulder for what seemed like days. And since he was now in middle school, he would be able to play in the Junior High Band at our church. Fortunately, we had some wonderful band directors who allowed Jeffrey to practice each week and perform at the various services. They never plugged him in since he wasn’t really playing anything, just strumming along to the beat.
As he received his lessons each week, Kara would tell how sharp he was getting. He knew the notes and the chords, and could tell when she would make mistakes on purpose. The problem was that his fine motor skills couldn’t keep up with what his brain knew. We were all kind of resigned to the fact that this might be the best he would play and were just happy that he was happy.
In the meantime, Jeffrey basically spent his free time with his iPad and headphones playing his guitar and singing. We would hear him sing and play his guitar all the time, but it was more like noise than music (I can say that since he’s my kid.) Then one day we noticed that he was constantly on a website called “Worship Tutorials.” He would watch the videos on how to play his favorite songs. This was the greatest thing to Jeffrey because it combined his two favorite things, worship music and guitar!
As the middle school was winding down, we knew there might be a problem. Jeffrey dreamt of playing in the Senior High Band at church. But with his limited ability, we needed to come up with a plan. With the help of the band director, Dawn, we decided that the best chance for him to perform was by playing the djembe, something that he was good at and could do without really disturbing the rest of the band.
But one day this summer, something changed. One morning as we were sipping coffee, we heard something unusual – and it was the sweetest noise I ever heard. Jeffrey was truly playing the guitar! As we spied on him, we could see his fingers playing the right chords and it sounded like a real song. It just clicked. If you know Jeffrey’s story, you’ll know this is not abnormal at all. He struggled all of his life with the “milestone” moments, but once he “got it” he was secure in that skill. For instance, Jeffrey didn’t walk until he was 19 months old. He didn’t do the typical take a few steps and fall down thing. He got up one day and just walked! It also happened with talking, swinging, reading, and now the guitar!
This led to us back to the Senior High Band. With his new ability to play a real song, he was determined to play guitar at church. So we had Dawn come over to hear him play. She was amazed at how much progress he had made. We all decided it would be a good idea for him to go to practice with the band so he could get a feel for being a part of the group and hear them all play. The plan was for him to sit out the service, but since he was doing so well, Dawn allowed him to play the final song. Boy was he excited! All day he was practicing that one song, and when it was time to play, he walked on stage like he owned the place.
The next week he practiced with the band with no promises of playing at the service. But once it was over, Dawn informed us that Jeffrey could play all five songs! If there was anything higher than “Cloud Nine,” he would have been on it! So when the big night came, he didn’t disappoint. He still wasn’t plugged in, but he was able to learn all five new songs and play with confidence and competence. He wasn’t just a “throw in” member, he was truly part of the band. As he played his last song and raised his hand to praise God, tears filled our eyes as we watched our little boy become a Rockstar!
Here he is in action!!
