Rof Lovland’s “You Raise Me Up” and upbeat “Cantina Band” by John Williams are all familiar tunes to our ears. But despite the customary music being played, the Orchestra that play these tunes are far from ‘Ordinary’.

The orchestra consists of children with mental illnesses. Many critics believed that it was impossible for the children to be able to perform a musical instrument, and certainly not as a group that needs synchronisation as an orchestra. With students with conditions such as autism, social interaction is a struggle, let alone the requirement of a large group.

But conducted by Sung Ho Park and helped by teachers that participate in the orchestra itself, guiding the children, they have created a miracle.

Although there are certain periods of the music being off key and the tempo changing, the final result is nothing short of great. After their 9th performance, the response by the modest audience that gathered for their concert shows how much work have been put to create such beautiful music. Many audiences from their daily walks or cycling stopped to hear the music being created, later gasping at the fact that these children are labelled as “impaired” by society.

You can only witness the difference with a normal orchestra during practice or their free time. Having the chance to meet the children face to face or during their practice sessions, you wonder how this was possible. The band members surely show the maturity of a 5 year old, many kids not being able to stay still, having their parents chase them around to fix a shirt. Many children are not able to interact socially in a normal manner, mainly due to autism, usually playing alone.

There are many responses from the crowd as the orchestra finishes one piece at a time. To categorize the children, the word impaired is used frequently. But there are a few things that are clearly visible for anyone. The joy the children have from being able to play the instrument they love and to be part of society in some way. This joy and passion they have has overcome all of their “impairments” and they have been able to go to great heights in accomplishment, going against the norms of what society imposes on them.