Finding My Groove

Once upon a time I decided to start playing the harmonica and pursue my interest in performing arts. Since my father plays bass and guitar and is aware of how to play most any musical instrument, he  had the opportunity to teach me all about different styles of music. One of the first things I learned was how to use my respiratory system to play the harmonica. I remember one year that I received the first one as a Christmas gift from my grandfather, along with a harmonica stand that I can wear around my neck.  Once I practiced more and more frequently, I had the confidence and energy to control the pace at every single level. With the knowledge of the difference between high pitch and low pitch sounds, I'm able to determine whether it correctly matches to the beat. For example, if someone plays bass by strumming the strings in a loud but low pitch, I follow along by blowing into an 'A' keyhole directly on the left side. If the drum beat appears at a higher pitch, I turn over to the right direction and blow the 'F' hole towards the end of the line. It took me very little time to learn all these skills.  Even though I use a cochlear implant to hear, synchronizing with the rhythm and tone of the melody comes easily to me.  This may be because I lost my hearing when I was about age three or four, so already had a lot of experience listening to music before I became deaf.

Alex plays his harmonica with the band at the Columbia Lakefront

Last night my dad's band, Capitol Groove, invited me to play on stage during their performance.  Rock 'n' Roll has always been one of my favorite forms of music, which is the kind of music my father's band plays.  

I don't know anyone else in the country who plays in a band who is also in a wheelchair like me. Therefore, I had an idea that if children and adults with disabilities got interested in playing an instrument or joining a band, it would be a great idea if there were adaptive musical instruments for them to play.  No matter what type of challenges people have to overcome, they should be able to play an instrument. I hope that someday I can help develop instruments for people with disabilities, so everyone can know the great feeling of making music.