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I have to say, though: she's good, but she's not "jaw-dropping", and the fact that she's autistic doesn't make her performance any better than if she wasn't. Musical talent is one of the commoner autistic super-powers (https://youtu.be/5ZhnO0mlImE), and Hallelujah is an easy song, so it's not extraordinary that she can sing it. Still, better than one hears at most school concerts! ^^
Susan Boyle is autistic too - as most of us auties knew the second we saw her, even though she hadn't yet been diagnosed when she made her surprising debut. I'm very glad she walked out on that stage without a Special Olympics label attached to her, and won with just her voice.
Speaking of musical talent, have you seen this child (https://youtu.be/7kJYZMP02SI)? No idea who she is, but.... wow.
Edited 2016-12-22 05:20 am (UTC)
I cannot judge how well she sings, anyhow, so I trust your expertise.
Thanks for the link; most impressive indeed. I wonder if she is Sora Watanabe? (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmHOyFDQPRYxcglEry20fw)
I think Kaylee sings very well, for a 10-year-old in a school Christmas program. She has a good voice, good enunciation, and a lot of heart; she gave a lovely performance, and has every reason to be proud of it. Hallelujah is a great song, even filked into a Christmas carol, and it was a good choice for her: steady, even tempo, not too much range, no tricky bits; plus a one-word refrain that her chorus could manage.
But with that said - no, it was not an extraordinary performance. There are ten-year-old girls all over the world who can sing Hallalujah as well. The reason this video is going viral is just because she's autistic: oh, so jaw-dropping that an autistic kid can do something as well as a normal kid! And that's my objection to the whole thing.
Compare and contrast this 14-year-old singing Aldonza (https://youtu.be/VyNAh8-GV7M). Now that is what I would call a challenging song! (I used to sing it, but not in performance - wouldn't attempt it now; menopause has taken too much of my soprano range.) The young actress does a very competent job with it, and she too has every reason to be proud of her performance, but - again - it's not stunningly amazing; it's just good. And her video hasn't gone viral, because she's not a Very Special Child. She might be just as autistic as Kaylee, but since she's not labeled as such, nobody is spewing hyperbole about how amazing she is.
Kaylee's probably too young to care about any of this now, but it may matter more to her as she gets older. It's really not flattering to be over-praised because people are amazed that one can do anything competently at all.
Slightly tangentially, here's a series of videos I think you'll appreciate: Things Not To Say (https://youtu.be/d69tTXOvRq4?list=PL64ScZt2I7wGxZlXAu0r0UPqpvzF23mgc).
Gotta fly; more Christmas is comin' at me, ack! Houseguest just left; now we're all off to the Big Feast. Merry Christmas dearheart!
Edited 2016-12-24 10:32 pm (UTC)
I agree with your objection.
I shall certainly check out the links in the next few days, thanks! I'll be off to work shortly.
Merry Christmas to you and enjoy the feast! :)