Teddy's First Concert

If you've ever had the privilege to attend an elementary school concert, you know those performances aren't about the lovely singing (or shouting) qualities of the students. It's about how adorable they are while giving their best efforts and showing off their hard work. That's why it makes sense to include all children who are willing and able to participate, regardless of how well they sing ... or if they sing at all.

Teddy is non-verbal. That means he doesn't talk, and honestly doesn't make a lot of vocalizations aside from grunting when he wants something and laughing. He'll occasionally babble, but he's a rather quiet child unless he's supposed to be quiet and then somehow the non-verbal child is the loudest he could possibly be. But that doesn't mean he couldn't or shouldn't participate in his school's holiday concert.

This year was the first year that Teddy had the opportunity to participate in the concert. His teacher and the music teacher (and quite frankly all his support staff) worked with him the last several months, so he could practice the actions for the songs as well as work on the appropriate skills for a concert. His music teacher sent us the motions for all their songs, so we could have Teddy practice at music therapy as well. He spent a lot of time and effort practicing.

The night of the concert, he was extremely excited. I think he knew something special was happening, and he was wired when we got into the auditorium. Then again, so were a couple hundred other children who were bouncing off the walls. It was wonderful to see Teddy start bouncing up and down when he saw one friend in particular who's always sweet and kind to him. It was more wonderful to see her bouncing in her seat and trying to get Teddy to notice. She was mirroring his way of communicating with her, which was so neat to see.

Teddy was super excited for his concert! And super cute!

Teddy's teacher and aide were both there and excited to see him. His aide wasn't working with him that evening as she was supporting another classmate. Teddy's teacher was on stage with him, right beside him, to help him with the motions and make sure he stayed in place. Teddy used the walker he uses at school, not so much for stability as much as to create boundaries and the expectation to stay where he was. Teddy did an amazing job of staying where he was supposed to instead of wander the stage or making a mad dash to go crowd surfing.

Teddy may have been the only child who spent part of the performance watching the rest of his peers and clapping for them, but he was clearly loving being a part of the show. He did some of the motions on his own and many with the help of his teacher. There was even an entire song that the class only did motions rather than singing. The intention was to focus on rhythm, but it was so nice for a non-verbal child.

After the concert, Teddy came running down the hall (dragging his walker). He was so excited and happy, as were we. AJ insisted that we buy Teddy and his teacher both treats at the bake sale because both his teacher and Teddy did such a great job. AJ said that he almost cried happy tears because he was so proud and happy.

Mr. Skaaland is Teddy's amazing teacher!

There wasn't anything extraordinary about Teddy's performance. He didn't have a special part to play. He just got to participate in the fun, like any other first grader. And that was extraordinary.