Violin lessons go beyond classroom

From your interesting March 15 article, “A gift for a gifted kid,” it appears that the young and talented Drew Bielaczyc of Granite Falls can read paragraphs on the sides of toothpaste tubes as methodically as New Orleans Saints quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees can read the menacing NFL defenses that oppose him.

Because I myself grew up learning to play the violin and was a second-born child in my family, I can relate somewhat to parts of Drew’s personal background and story. The violin can be a complex, difficult instrument. Similar to the profundity of comprehending the infinite nature of the number “pi,” grasping the nuances of a violin can be like trying to learn calculus. It can be as potentially challenging to absorb over the long run as it probably is for many of Drew’s teachers and classmates to correctly spell and pronounce his unique last name.

One thing a violinist has to eventually learn is he is not primarily an individual instrument player. Rather, he is part of an orchestra! If he has a gift, it is not for his own benefit, but part of a group of musicians who each possess an indispensable function.

Realizing this unselfishly in a musical context can aid him in also figuring it out in social contexts with his peers. It may not happen overnight, but the light will come on!

Finally, if he’s labeled as having Asperger syndrome, that is not nearly as important as being an “aspiring somebody” in life!

Steve Goodman

Mountlake Terrace

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