Me: Jodi, what are the chords in that song?
Jodi; I IV I III
Me: No, what key are you playing in?
Jodi: G!
Me: So what are the chords?
Jodi: (demonstrating with much annoyance)  G D G C!!!!!
Me: Right. Of course…

jodi is my 8 year old niece. the song in question is an original composition that she wrote before my eyes in about 10 minutes called “Cinderella and Me” which was incredibly beautiful. rarely am i as humbled by musicianship as i am when this little girl i love dazzles me with these somewhat hidden gifts.

i speak about her often sometimes mostly out of sheer amazement. diagnosed with autism shortly after her second birthday, she had never spoken or  made eye contact with anyone. she played only by herself, never pointed at anything, cried when she wanted something. she started ABA therapy soon after and fought it with everything she had in her. she’s tough and smart. it became apparent that although she didn’t speak, she knew how to read, she drew pictures of the qwerty keyboard even though she had only seen one once. she’d leave words made of refrigerator magnets all over the floor.

by the time she was three, she struggled with speaking but she could sing. not only could she sing, she had perfect pitch and a photographic memory. before long, she was listening to music and walking to the piano and playing the melody. like a tiny scientist she figures out something new every day and incorporates it into her playing. if i don’t see her for a week, it’s incomprehensible how much her playing has improved.

mostly, she’s an 8 year old girl who struggles with the deficits that autism brings. she does a lot of ordinary things that kids do. she rides her bike, she plays with dolls, she surfs the web, plays video games.

look down.  she can also do this: