"In the Key of Genius"
Enter Adam Ockelford. Adam Ockelford is Professor of Music at Roehamton University; Secretary of the Society for Education, Music & Psychology Research; Chair of 'Soundabout', an Oxford-based charity that supports children with complex needs; and the founder of AMBER Trust which provides bursaries for blind and partially blind children to have music lessons. Adam took Derek under his wing when he was only 2 years old and has been his teacher and his friend for over twenty years. Adam is perhaps the only person Derek is even remotely bonded to emotionally. With Adam's guidance, he gave his first concert at the age of 7.
Derek is also the nephew of Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall, and therefore was born into royalty - although all of this is completely lost on Derek as his music is his world and his only way of connecting with others. Unike many people with autism, Derek simply loves people - and they love him.
I first heard about Derek from a news clip on "60 Minutes" about a year ago. His story was so unforgettable that I actually ordered this book from the U.K. which took a month to get in the mail (the book only cost $19.95 in the U.K. whereas it would have cost $75.00 here in the States). No matter, it was well worth the wait!
Derek has been performing live concerts in front of thousands for several years now and even has his own CD titled, "Echoes of the Sounds to Be." In spite of the fact that he almost died after he was born, or perhaps even because of it, God chose to save him and the Goddess chose to bless the rest of us with the gift of Derek's naturally beautiful talent (you should hear this man play). A remarkably inspirational read!
