Holli Safley Memorial Music Scholarship

I was 7 years old when my parents told me that I have Williams syndrome. It didn’t mean much to me at the time, other than the fact that I was very happy to have something that my sister DIDN’T have. Williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition affecting 1 in 10,000. It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning challenges. These often occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities, and an affinity for music, etc… But this is my definition: People with Williams syndrome are amazing human beings who just want to come together and spread love and kindness to the world. Anyway, I felt like a pretty normal, happy kid, but as I got into middle school, things started to get harder…. the school work and the social stuff. But I always had music. I’d been in musical productions at my school and church, sang in the choirs and tried to learn the piano. But it wasn’t until I realized that I could write my own songs that things got serious. My papa would improvise something at the piano and I would start singing - just freestyle. A musical was born and now 6 years later we finally did a first staged reading of The Girl Who Cried Different. A story of a father and his daughter who aspire to help heal the world with their musical, and are themselves healed in the process. It is my story. A story about what’s it’s like living with a unique disability. But it’s also about everyone who feels different and feels like they don’t fit in. My papa has been a very successful professional musician but he always told me that he never felt like he fit in either. Both when he was younger and even when he was older and successful. This is also a story about the many people who have hidden disabilities. We just don’t know what others are going through, so we should be kind to everybody. Writing and continuing to develop this musical has given me confidence to keep pursuing my dreams of performing and writing my own music. It’s also given me confidence is my life. My experience in theater has helped me develop as a confident public speaker. I not only sing my truth, I also speak it. I was chosen to be the keynote speaker at my school’s fundraiser gala last year. I’ve also spoken several times at my church. I’m looking forward to college and having the opportunity to become a better performer and writer, learning from my mentors and peers. I strive to be a strong role model and advocate for people with Williams syndrome and all disabilities, by being only the 2nd person with Williams syndrome to ever earn a 4-year college degree.

I was born with unilateral hearing loss in my left ear. I had sometimes felt this disability had put me at a disadvantage compared to my peers. I persevered, worked hard and overcame this disability, all while excelling in pursuing my passion for music. When I was five years old, I asked my parents for a piano because I wanted to learn how to play it. For my sixth birthday, my parents and grandparents bought me the piano that I still play on today. Soon after receiving it, I started taking private lessons with my teacher, Mr. John Ackley. Though I was oblivious to it then, during lessons Mr. Ackley sat on my right side instead of sitting on my left, like he did with his other students. That small accommodation from Mr. Ackley made me feel normal like the other kids. My favorite part of every lesson was ear training. Ironic, right? Although ear training was difficult at times, it is a skill I've used every day since I started taking piano lessons. I eventually stopped taking piano lessons when Mr. Ackley retired, but his knowledge of the musical language he shared with me has made a lasting impression that I will never forget. For the last few years, I have been taking one-on-one voice lessons with a professional voice coach. These lessons have strengthened my voice, which is now my primary instrument. When I played the piano for my Grandmother in her nursing home, I saw her reaction and it made her feel good. I saw her smile, which is quite uncommon for her since her Alzheimer’s has rapidly progressed over the last several years. I was overjoyed seeing her foot start tapping when I started playing. Something as simple as tapping her foot let me know that I was connecting with her in a language we both understood and loved. At that moment, my Grandmother showed me that the best part of music for me was helping others, making any given moment that much better. Last year I started volunteering to teach piano to a young girl in my neighborhood with special needs. I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to spark that same love for music in her that Mr. Ackley sparked for me several years earlier. Over time and our weekly piano lessons, I saw the same desire in her to overcome a disability that I had in myself at her age. Like me, she didn’t let her disability prevent her from learning to play the piano. She wasn’t thinking about what she couldn’t accomplish, only what she could accomplish. I was incredibly proud of her progress in learning several beginner-level songs during the first month of weekly lessons. Once the student and now the teacher, I felt a sense of pride to be passing on Mr. Ackley’s teachings to a student of my own. People like her and my Grandmother motivate me every day to keep striving to overcome any obstacles I may encounter in life, and to never give up in the pursuit of my goals. I’m inspired by the power of music and how much it can impact people of all ages. I intend to major in music therapy and learn how to help people of all ages through music. My plan is to continue my education and earn my masters degree and then my doctorate in music therapy. Mental and emotional health is so important and music therapy can help make a meaningful impact for people of all ages.