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For the Love of the Violin

Edited: March 12, 2026, 6:59 PM · Last night I got a phone call from the mother of a young man (around 30) who I taught the violin to fairly regularly over the years but had not seen for a couple of years. He had passed away.
Hiro was handicapped in a number of ways as the result of water on the brain at birth, so he had trouble walking and with general coordination of his hands. Nor did he ever speak although he could if he really forced himself. Over the time I knew him he became progressively less able to do such things as driving, cooking for himself and the like. To tell the truth, I always felt kind of sad after meeting him because I knew he would never have a family life and such.
In spite of this , he was actually a gifted musician who lived for playing the violin as best he could and composing small pieces. When he was in his late teens he was rejected by all the violin studios in his area as being physically unable to handle a violin which pissed me off so much I swore I was going to somehow get him to play.
The last time we worked together, maybe four years ago, I coached him trhough Mozart's 3rd violin concerto which initially seemed absolutely insurmountable. He finally perfomed it reasonably well with a junior orchestra in a large concert hall. That was his dream come true.
Talking to his mother last night, she has her mobile phone video of this by which she can relive the happiest day of her son's life.
If I had to pick one thing, this is why I'm glad I spent my life teaching the violin Tweet

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