Sujeet Desai stroked each piano key with care, taking in every note, allowing himself to move with the music. The passionate musician allowed the deep sound of Pachibel’s Canon to fill Setnor Auditorium.

The music does not discriminate against who is playing it: if the sound is good, it comes out clear and rich; the music doesn’t know that Desai has Down syndrome. He plays not just as any musician dedicated to the arts; he plays as a musician who has overcome a disability to share his passion with others.

‘The skill he has is astounding,’ said Evan Wichman, a freshman music education major. ‘His learning is different, and it’s just amazing that he can overcome everything and play the way that he did.’

Desai explored every genre from jazz to classical, making sure to perform songs that were recognizable to the audience.

‘Dragon Hunt,’ which was played on piano and ‘Music of the Night,’ a song from the Broadway play, Phantom of the Opera, played on saxophone, were Desai said, his favorite songs to play.

The audience’s favorite seemed to be his final piece, which was Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ Those in attendance sang along during the chorus. Desai said he keeps the audience in mind when he chooses his songs, playing not only his favorites but recognizable tunes, as well.

Desai performed as a part of the program for Music Education Student Committee. He didn’t just play one instrument during his hour-long performance, he played four – clarinet, violin, piano and saxophone.

The saxophone is his most recent instrumental project. He began learning it just two and a half years ago, but the challenge of a new instrument is why its Desai’s favorite.

‘It’s a very good challenge and I like the jazzy sounds that come out of it,’ Desai said. ‘It also looks pretty cool.’

In order to keep up with a busy schedule and practicing all the instruments he plays, Desai is on a very strict schedule and receives help from his parents as well as Grace Miller, his support worker from the Resource Center for Individualized Living.

Miller’s job is to make sure Desai stays on schedule and helps him with day-to-day routines. The idea is to let Desai be as independent as he can, without living in a group home. Miller communicates with Desai’s mother and gets daily tasks on what she can do to assist Desai for the day.

Although, she’s been working with the family for two and a half years, Miller said the family’s power of organization still amazes her. Desai’s average day consists of three to four hours of practicing, working out, helping teach a Tae Kwon Do class and doing community service to keep his performances up.

‘They taught to be more diligent and you can achieve your goals if you just plan for them,’ Miller said.

Goals do reach a long way, especially for Desai: he never let his disability hold him back from learning instruments. His method for learning isn’t that much different than any other musician, except that he relies more on tapes and recordings to learn certain pieces than the actual notes.

Sections of songs or whole songs get replayed over and over until Desai learns them. However part of Miller and Desai’s mother’s job is to facilitate his practice and make sure he doesn’t play the same songs over again during practice.

For the wind instruments that he played, a prerecorded tape of the songs accompanied him, but for piano, Desai was on his own.

‘I really thought he excelled at piano and he seemed to have a lot of passion while playing it,’ said Amy Dykstra, a freshman vocal performance major. ‘I feel like because a piano is a simpler instrument it may be easier for him to go further with it with a more minimal knowledge.’

kaoutram@syr.edu

Published on January 27, 2009 at 12:00 pm