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Music for Everyone

Born without part of his right arm, violinist Adrian Anantawan is working to expand opportunities for people with disabilities to play instruments.

Adrian Anantawan plays the violin.

© Andrew Burke-Stevenson—The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Violinist Adrian Anantawan plays during a rehearsal with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra in August 2024.

When Adrian Anantawan was in 5th grade, his teacher announced that everyone would be learning to play a flute-like musical instrument called the recorder. Anantawan knew this would be difficult for him. Born without most of his right forearm, Anantawan has only his left hand—and not enough fingers to play the recorder. Now a world-class violinist and music teacher, Anantawan is dedicated to expanding opportunities for musicians with disabilities.

Anantawan is inspired by his own journey with music. When he realized he couldn’t play the recorder, he struggled to think of an instrument he could play. Then he saw violinist Itzhak Perlman on an episode of Sesame Street. Although Perlman has the use of both hands, he requires leg braces to walk due to a childhood case of polio. Watching Perlman play the violin made Anantawan want to try it. 

But while the stringed instrument requires only five fingers to play, it also requires the player to move a bow with their other hand. So Anantawan and his parents went to a hospital near their home in Toronto, Canada, and asked specialists there to make an adaptive cast for Anantawan. The cast the specialists made, called a spatula, allows Anantawan to use his right shoulder muscles to move the bow of his violin. 

“A lot of times, we let fear get in the way of trying anything,” Anantawan told Good Morning America. “For me, my story has always been a result of just trying something, being okay with failure, and then just seeing what the results are.”

It took Anantawan some time to get used to maneuvering the bow. After a while, he says, “my body sort of figured it out on its own. You start from the sound, and a student who is passionate will figure it out.” Anantawan eventually had several teachers, including Itzhak Perlman.

Anantawan has performed at the White House, the United Nations, and two Olympic opening ceremonies.  He’s also a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. At Berklee, he runs the Music Inclusion Ensemble. Made up of students with disabilities, the ensemble works to ensure that all students have the accommodations they need to play their instruments.

“My duty and job is to use this platform in some way to show folks what a person with a visible disability can do,” Anantawan told Good Morning America. “And it’s always an honor to do that.”

NEWS EXTRA

Celebrating Diwali!

Four colorful lanterns hanging and lights running along the ground with people sitting and standing next to them.

© Nikhil Gangavane/Dreamstime.com, © RBB—Moment/Getty Images, © Magdalena

Kucova/stock.adobe.com; Photo illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The five-day festival called Diwali (or Divali) is observed each year in October or November. In 2024, Diwali falls between October 29 and November 3.

Diwali originated in India and is part of the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain religions, though it’s also observed by some Muslims and Buddhists. Diwali is observed differently in each religion. In Hinduism, for example, the holiday honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Homes are decorated with lights to invite Lakshmi’s presence and bring prosperity.

In general, Diwali is a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness, or good over evil. People celebrate by feasting, eating sweets, exchanging gifts, and cleaning their homes. 

Though Diwali lasts for five days, this year’s main celebration takes place on October 31.

Did You Know?

What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? It’s the same instrument. 

Violin is often used to describe the instrument when it is used to play classical music, while fiddle is used in the context of other types of music, such as bluegrass.

A violin says it is into all kinds of music as the silhouette of a classical musician and a bluegrass musician play their violins.

© Xveron90x, Aarrows, Aleutie/Dreamstime.com, © tatniz—iStock/Getty Images; Photo illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Election 2024: The Basics

Five photos show the White House, someone feeding a ballot into a machine, young voters with Vote buttons, a person dropping a ballot into a box, and a woman reading a sample ballot.

REUTERS/Alamy, © Ariel Skelley—DigitalVision,  lucky-photographer—iStock, Brian Blanco/Getty Images, © Iandewarphotography/Dreamstime.com; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

On November 5, Americans will cast their votes, either in person or by mail, for the next president of the United States. Many will also vote for governors and members of Congress.

All these people make important decisions that affect millions.

As we wait to see who will be running the country for the next four years, here’s an overview of how U.S. elections work.

Who is running for election?

There is a presidential election every four years. This year’s candidates for president are Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. Harris is currently the vice president of the United States, while Trump was president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

Many seats in the U.S. Congress (the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives) are also in play. Senators and representatives are lawmakers who represent the people in their home states and districts.

Some states are having gubernatorial elections—elections for governor. 

How is the winner of the presidential election decided?

When people vote for president, they are not actually voting for a candidate. Instead, they’re voting for a member of the Electoral College.

The Electoral College is made up of 538 people (called electors) from every state and Washington, D.C. Each state has at least three electors, and the higher a state’s population, the more electors it has. In most states, the candidate who gets the most votes gets all that state’s electoral votes. 

For example, Michigan has 15 electors. The candidate who gets the most votes from the people of Michigan will get all 15 electoral votes.

To win the election, a candidate needs 270 electoral votes.

When will we know who won the presidential election?

It can take a while to count the votes. Sometimes, the winner is known by the end of Election Day. Other times, the winner is not known for a day or more.

When will the new president take office?

The new president will take office on January 20, 2025. This is called Inauguration Day. On Inauguration Day, the president takes an oath of office, promising to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.

Wonder of Music

Side by side photos of Stevie Wonder singing as a child and as an adult.
Hulton Archive, JEFF HAYNES & AFP/Getty Images; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Today’s article is about a musician with a disability. American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder, who was born blind, may be the most famous musician with a disability. 

Born Stevland Morris, the musician became known as “Stevie Wonder” because he was remarkably talented at an early age. His song, “Fingertips, Pt. 2,” was released when he was only 12. It would become the first of his many number-one hits.

You can read about Stevie Wonder at Britannica.

WORD OF THE DAY

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adjective

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: very good at doing something that is not easy

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