I started thinking about this aspect of my son this week because Tom got a new cell phone – one with an MP3 player. An MP3 player is a digital music device which allows a person to download music from their computer onto a very small, portable listening device. It has a set of ear buds (tiny receiver buttons that fit snuggly in the ear) that let you hear your favorite songs, no matter where you are, without disturbing anyone else. Anyone with an MP3 can move to the beat of a different drummer.
I have never owned one. When Tom got his phone, his MP3 player was passed down to me. I am a newbie to the world of portable, private, music enjoyment. We like many of the same types of songs and I will not need to load the player with too many additional tunes. I’m pretty excited about it. Now my walks, my yard work, and my chores around the house can be accompanied by a strong beat or sweet melody and it won’t disturb a soul.
Matt has never had an MP3 player either. After some thought about my own good fortune it occurred to me that Matt would probably like an MP3 of his own. I asked Tom to show Matt mine while I was at work to see if he liked it. I suspected he would. Actually, it was a no-brainer – Matt loves music and loves to sing. A personal music devise that he could take with him anywhere is exactly what he craves.
When I returned home from work Tom gave me the details of Matt’s first exposure to the MP3. The player received 2-thumbs up! Matt put it on and sang and danced around the house all afternoon. By 5:00pm, he was ready to go shopping for one of his own. Matt was so hooked on this new-fangled devise that he wore my MP3 all the way to the store and all the way home. He turned up the volume, leaned back in the seat and looked out the window as the music filled his head. Matt was lost in the rhythmic sounds emanating from the tiny discs in his ears. He didn’t sing – just listened.
Matt has always had trouble discerning the lyrics of a song. He can’t quite make them all out and he will pick a word that is close – the word he thinks might be right – to fill in the gaps. Lots of people do this, and it always gives me the giggles. For example, when Matt was singing Tom Petty’s song, “Runnin’ down a dream” he replaced the lyrics with “runnin’ down the drain”. I smiled and gave him the right word, which he gladly accepted. Matt wants to be right- he’s never insulted if you correct him. I guarantee he will never sing “Runnin’ down the drain” again – which, when I think about it, makes me a bit sad.
The ear buds and digital clarity of the MP3 player allows Matt to really hear the words. Matt was silent as he rode in the jeep, fascinated by the clarity of the lyrics. Knowing Matt, he was most likely memorizing the lyrics of as many songs as possible during his time with my MP3. His most autistic characteristic at this time in his life is his continued need for accuracy and precision - in everything. This is what drives him to learn and now he can satisfy this need as it pertains to his music also.
Matt excitedly showed me his new player when I got home. I asked him if he had any music on it yet and he said, “no” in a pleading voice. “You need to write a list of songs you want on it and give it to daddy” I replied. Matt went immediately to his room and began to write. I went to the living room to sit down and not even 5 minutes later Matt reappeared, smiling ear to ear, and handed a 3 page list to Tom - 51 songs with the name of the band and the title of the song by each. Amazing! I know I couldn’t even rattle off 51 songs in that short amount of time, let alone write it all out. Tom went straight to his computer and started loading.
Today we will be hiking another section of the New River Trail and Matt will be wearing his new device. It’s been a long road from the little boy who would put his hand over my mouth when I sang to him. This same little boy use to cringe at loud sounds. Now he finds a great deal of joy in music and amplitude is not issue. Even with the ear plugs in, if you stand anywhere near him you can still hear the song he is listening too.
I am looking very forward to our hike. I’m anticipating a walk in which Tom and I hike – each of us listening to our own music. And Matt? Well, I don’t expect Matt to actually “hike”. To be honest, I expect Matt to dance along the trail and sing his way from point A to point B.
Each of us will be marching to a different drummer. That is exactly how it should be.
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