Moore - Play it from the heart: what you learn from music about success in life

This book is dedicated to my children, Jameson and Lorian Moore, in hopes that they will have much joy in music and life. As I can never properly thank my own parents, Carolyn Reese and J. Larry Moore, I hope that in some small way this book will express my love and appreciation for all that they have given me. With much love and gratitude I thank my wife, Kimberly Sena Moore, who inspired the original concept and who continues to serve as an inspiration in my life. I would also like to express appreciation to Tom Eblen for his recommendations and considerable editing skills. Heartfelt thanks are also extended to Sheree Hood, Karen Oxley, and Catherine Wilson for their encouragement and support throughout the creative process.

I am most grateful to all my students who gave their heart and soul to music, to their friends, and to me. Its rather common for teachers to learn from their students, and thankfully I have had the privilege of sharing many indelible moments with these remarkable young musicians. I humbly apologize for my shortcomings as a teacher, and I thank them all for their patience, love, and dedication.

I sat on the couch with tears welling in my eyes. As I read the story of Patrick Henry Hughes, a University of Louisville trumpet player with amazing abilities, I couldnt help but think: I know this kid . Not him personally, but I know a lot of kids like him. They love band so much that they will make any sacrifice to be a part of it. I tried not to cry. I felt embarrassed to tear up over a Sports Illustrated article, but I was alone, and I cant help the way I feel about people like Patrick Henry Hughes.

Patrick was born without eyes, he cant straighten his legs or arms, and he has several other physical issues some people might characterize as disabilities. And yet he performs with the University of Louisville Marching Band and a couple hundred other kids who love band and sports and playing My Old Kentucky Home at the Kentucky Derby. I know this kid. I have had hundreds just like him in my bands at the University of Kentucky, Lafayette High School, and Colorado State University. Well, not just like him, but kids who will give you everything they have and come back and ask if you need anything more. Patrick doesnt exactly march like the other performers. His father pushes him in his wheelchair through all of the bands intricate movements and formations.

Patrick doesnt focus on his disabilities; he makes the most of his abilities. How do I know? Well, I know this kid. Thats why, as I read the article, my chest started shaking and tears streamed down my face. I recalled kids who were marching popsicles in frigid conditions; kids who performed with everything from chicken pox to a mouthful of missing teeth from a car wreck. One kid marched with a transplanted heartand doctors orders to not get too physical . I remembered the brave rifle girl who gashed her head during a show but kept performing as blood ran down her face and stained her white uniform. (Even I had enough sense to pull her off the field midway through the show. Later that day, after stitches, she marched in the finals competition.)

I Know This Dad

Although Patrick was born with several disabilities, he has the one ability he needs mostan attitude of possibility. He wont allow himself to be sidelined. He is a star on the field, powered by a desire to performand by his father, Patrick John Hughes, who attends every rehearsal and performance with his son. I know this kid, and I know this father. Ive admired hundreds of parents like him. Ive known parents who sold boxes of citrus, loaded and unloaded trucks full of equipment, and attended dozens of events with their kids. I have seen parents sacrifice for their kids in ways I never understood as a teacheruntil I remembered how my own parents did it for me.

Patrick John Hughes, the father, reminds me of the story of Derek Redmond, the track star, who tore his hamstring during an Olympic semifinal heat in 1992. He refused to quit. Even with tears, obvious grief, and intense pain, his determination to continue was apparent with every hobbled step toward the finish line. Sixty-five thousand people cheered in the stands as his father, Jim, pushed through the officials to help his son finish the race. I get emotional over that story, too, every time I encounter it.

Patricks father has since won several prestigious awards, but no one could have predicted that at the time. He works the night shift at UPS so he can attend classes with his son during the day. After their initial worry and disappointment, Patricks parents cared for him with the same love and hope as any parents have for their child. I once asked a band parent how all of his kids turned out so well. He replied that he never turned them away when they came to him. I think of that now when my son is climbing on my lap to grab the computer mouse as I work. Patricks folks first noticed his interest in music when they set him on a piano as an infant. Patricks attention was noticeable. He began to play the piano at the age of nine months. Now, in addition to playing piano, Patrick sings, composes, and plays trumpet in the University of Louisville Marching Band under the direction of Dr. Gregory Byrne. I know this guy.

I Know This Band Director

Actually, I really do know him! Greg is a great musician, a smart guy, and one of the nicest people I know. But a genius? What kind of brilliant thought was it to place Patrick on the field with his dad pushing him around in a wheelchair? It was one of those sincere thoughts that come from the heartthe same heart that knows that every person is someones precious baby. The kind of leadership that says we have a place for everyone in this organization. The kind of vision that sees one more great musician for the band, not a person in a wheelchair. I know this band director and, sometimes, I am this band director. I have had a deaf snare drummer, a legally blind trumpet player, and many students that I swear couldnt carry a tune in a bucket. And they all have played their hearts out in band. But if Patrick had come to me, I would have told him he could perform on the sideline. I would not have conceived of Patrick and his father on the field in formations. Im sure I would have thought it would be a distraction because I had never seen it done before. Instead of distracting from the band, though, Greg Byrnes vision has attracted worldwide attention to the band. Brilliant.