Haydon the autistic baritone player

by Fiona R-P
(Cumbria, UK)

I am a music teacher in a secondary school in the UK.

Amongst my pupils I have a year 7 boy called Haydon who is a very good baritone player.

He can not do a sum in maths without counting on his fingers, his hand writing is illegible, but he can read music with ease. He has an excellent ear for music and I watched him take his grade 3 baritone exam with fascination - he didn't flinch with nerves during the entire exam. He just played regardless - and clearly enjoyed every minute of it.

His big sister plays in the Halle youth orchestra - perhaps he will follow in her footsteps....