Some students are those ridiculously talented types, who are good at everything, and let you know it. Not Alijah. His talent was hidden until a music lesson at school, where the teacher got students to play rhythms on buckets. She heard Alijah play and instantly knew he had a special talent.
Stacy Caldwell is a music teacher at Wilmeth Elementary School in McKinney, Texas. When she set her students with the bucket drumming task, she had no idea there was a child prodigy in their midst.
Elijah blew her away with his talents and played complicated rhythms using different parts of the bucket to make different sounds. She had never seen anything like it and she knew that she had to do whatever she could to help Alijah.
Alijah plays the drums for his local church, and sometimes practices on the display kits in local music shops, but has never had a lesson in his life.
He used to practise at home as well, but unfortunately, he lost his drum kit in a house fire and his family couldn’t afford to replace it. Ms Caldwell knew she had to do something about that.
She asked via Facebook if anyone had a spare kit they could donate, and the community came together to provide a special kit for Alijah to practice on.
In the end, people of the community came together to donate a whole drum kit, as well as an electronic kit so Alijah can practise quietly at his grandmother’s house and a practise pad. The community know that Alijah’s talent is one worth fostering and helping, so they did all they could to help him out. Watch the video to see his impressive drumming skills.
What do you make of Alijah’s hidden talent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
