JAY — Kaleb Wisher loved his piano teacher as much as he loves playing music.
Their Wednesday afternoon lessons struck a chord that will resonate throughout his life.
Diagnosed with high-functioning autism at just over a year old, Kaleb, now 13, is also savant, born with an innate ability to pluck music out of the air and translate it on a keyboard.
His gift intrigued Keene piano teacher Jean Gallic, a music instructor and graduate of the renowned Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.
When Jean died suddenly at the end of January, the lessons stopped, but not the music.
Sitting at the upright piano Jean helped find for Kaleb and his parents, Jim Wisher and Koleen Otis-Wisher, the young teen's fingers careened over the keys.
"This song is 'Ecossaise,'" he said.
"It's the last song they played together," Koleen explained.
Notes filled the small den that is set aside at the family's Jay home for Kaleb's music and computer pursuits.
He began to play at age 5, at first solely by ear.
Because their son was often bullied at school, Jim and Koleen moved him to a more supportive setting at Keene Central School.
From the community, they found Jean Gallic.
She, in turn, helped Kaleb find communication skills he had not had the chance to develop.
"She really understood me. She helped me focus, concentrate, even learn theory," Kaleb said, his gaze astute.
As many people are with high-functioning autism, Kaleb is articulate and incisive.
"You have to think ahead when you play music," he explained. "The more effort you put into it, the better you sound. She taught me how technique is very important in finger movements, how to play and put effort into what you play. One of her famous sayings was, 'You practice on the day you eat.'"
Which, of course, is every day.
"Exactly," Kaleb said.
LIFE LESSONS
Piano lessons with Jean also uncovered a learning stutter Kaleb had with mistakes.
"She found the mistakes," he said. "I make the same ones; I don't make new ones. So she taught me how to recognize the mistake and overcome it and fix it."
Jean's education at Crane, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1975, and subsequent decades of teaching fit Kaleb's unique ability to learn.
"She set goals every week to get something accomplished and done right," Kaleb said.
Lessons on piano keys soon transcended sound and chord structure. They were life lessons, really, wrapped in music theory and practice.
"It builds reading skills and, sort of, math in that you need to get into time signatures. You need to count notes, quarter notes, half notes — things like that," Kaleb said.
Jean also introduced the young musician to Suzuki training, a learning strategy that encourages innate talent through a nurturing, supportive environment.
"She said I was a natural-born Suzuki student," he said, opening an instruction book for piano with double scores of music for duets, something Jean did often with Kaleb.
It added lessons in communication.
"If you're playing a duet, a trio or in a band, if you fall out, the other parts fall out," he said. "Then there's listening. You definitely have to be able to focus and concentrate on what you hear."
TRIBUTE IN SONG
In the very first Suzuki session, Kaleb was able to read and memorize 61 notes.
The autistic thought-process has special qualities, Koleen explained.
Jean asked him about it in the last lesson before she died.
"I described to her how I take pictures in my mind of what I'm doing, and it's not just for music," Kaleb said. "The picture stays there for as long as I need it, either as notes or just how I hear it."
When he wants the information, Kaleb simply brings up the picture.
"I try to keep it in a place where I can get to it fast. At that moment, I plan out what I'm going to do with it. I apply it; sometimes there's a trigger that starts it. I'm very sensitive to things."
Kaleb shared his admiration for Jean with a tribute performance at Café Night, held recently at Keene Central School.
The song he played, "21 Guns" by Green Day, thrummed off his piano keys again at home.
"When somebody comes into your life," he said when the music stopped, "and they have a big impact, you don't forget. There will be something new, but I will never forget her."
E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
Kim Smith Dedam
-
Photo provided
Discussion
ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.
Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.
Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.
We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.
Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:
There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.
Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.
Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.
Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)
Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”
Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.
Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.
Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.
In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.
Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.
We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
A chord sustained
Teen's beloved piano teacher dies; her music lives on
- Breaking News
-
-
Surplus funds keep After-School Program alive
The Moriah and Willsboro sites run by Adirondack Community Action Programs is not closing after all.
-
Montreal woman dies in Westport crash
Angela Pierre, 69, was ejected from the vehicle when its driver lost control on Interstate 87 in Westport.
-
Burlington hospital makes interim chief permanent
Fletcher Allen Health Care announced today that Dr. John Brumsted will move from interim to permanent president and CEO.
-
Surplus funds keep After-School Program alive
- New Today
-
-
Recovery Center to hold open house
Smashing stereotypes and eliminating the stigma of mental-health issues has led to formation of a new place in Franklin County for clients to get wrap-around services to help them rejoin the community.
-
Recovery Center to hold open house
- Local News
-
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
The district is starting its new budget process almost $2 million in the hole. Officials are seeking public input on the problem.
-
One injured in Plattsburgh house fire
A female suffered second- and third-degree burns in a fire at her South Catherine Street home early Sunday.
-
Plattsburgh's Sweet Adelines sing music of the heart
Sweet Adelines spread message of love on Valentine's Day with yearly singing valentines.
-
Love between the lines
Dr. Nell Irvin Painter of New Russia and Plattsburgh State's Dr. J.W. Wiley share historical and current viewpoints on interracial loving, American-style. INCLUDES VIDEO
-
NCCS wins CVAC cheerleading competition
NCCS wins first place for the eighth time in nine years
-
Cheerleading photos (2/12/12)
-
Tentative contract reached with officers
The deal with New York state would cover the 2,800 members of the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association who typically work at specialized state centers such as the Sunmount Development Disabilities Services Office in Tupper Lake.
-
Lookback: Feb. 13-19
News stories from around the region from 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago this week.
-
Of Interest: Feb. 13, 2012
Peru Central School Board to hold budget discussion; Dannemora to discuss highway post; Beekmantown School Board invites budget input; Willsboro School Board to discuss policies; Chazy School Board to discuss budget; SLCS Board to appoint clerk pro-tem; Keeseville Zoning Board cancels meeting; Elizabethtown-Lewis School Board to work on budget.
-
Gourds' shapes create interesting canvas
Georgette Bacon's gourd art is on display through March 10 at Foothills ARTSociety in Malone.
- February 12, 2012
-
NCCS wins CVAC cheerleading competition
NCCS wins first place for the eighth time in nine years
-
One injured in Plattsburgh house fire
A female suffered second- and third-degree burns in a fire at her South Catherine Street home early Sunday.
-
Plattsburgh's Sweet Adelines sing music of the heart
Sweet Adelines spread message of love on Valentine's Day with yearly singing valentines.
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
The district is starting its new budget process almost $2 million in the hole. Officials are seeking public input on the problem.
-
Tentative contract reached with officers
The deal with New York state would cover the 2,800 members of the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association who typically work at specialized state centers such as the Sunmount Development Disabilities Services Office in Tupper Lake.
-
Attempted-murder trial set
The case against Robert J. McCann, who is charged with trying to kill his former girlfriend at a secluded Westville site, begins Tuesday in Franklin County Court.
-
A historic battle for interracial marriage
Forty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all remaining state bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia.
-
Fireworks to close weekend carnival
The final day of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is filled with activities and events. INCLUDES VIDEO
-
- Recent Article Comments
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches
Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked
Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet
Valentine Greetings Sent Worldwide From Loveland
Greek Austerity Measures Spark Riots
Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill
Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria
Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
