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SALT LAKE CITY — It takes a lot of time, practice and patience to master the piano. A blind teenager says it only took him three years.
Now, a Logan family is trying to help him share his talent with the world.
Kuha'o Case is from Hawaii, but he's in Utah this month showcasing his remarkable abilities, having played a concert at Utah State last week, with another one in Ogden on the way.
Case's family started him with lessons, but after just a few sessions it became apparent to his instructors that he had a special gift. When he plays the piano, it's all by ear.
"I like to listen to a song like once or twice, or three times or more, and just get a hold of the melody," Case said.
He can't see the notes on paper, and he only recently learned that the piano has both white and black keys. There is little doubt, however, that he feels the music.
"Music calms people down," Case said, "and it sets them free."
Case took a trip to Utah to fulfill a life dream of playing the tabernacle organs in the LDS Conference Center. He got that chance two months ago, after meeting Andy Thunnell of Logan.
Music calms people down, and it sets them free.
–Kuha'o Case, blind pianist
"The first time I heard him ... Nothing prepared me for what I was about to feel," Thunnell said.
The two are now close friends. Thunnell said he felt a need to help Case, and to share his talent.
"In Hawaiian," said Thunnell, "Kuha'o means extraordinary, and Makana means gift. 'Extraordinary Gift', so he's definitely living up to his name."
Now Thunnell is trying to help Case record a CD, and get some tools to help him develop his gift.
"He doesn't even have his own piano," Thunnell said.
Case attributes his gift and love for song to his faith in God and Jesus Christ. "They're the ones who are making it possible for me to teach myself how it works, how to do it, and how to play," he said.
While playing makes him happy, Case believes this gift has a greater purpose, and he hopes to touch the lives of others with his music.
Kuha'o Case will be opening for America's Got Talent winner Landau Murphy Jr. at the Ogden City Amphitheater Saturday, July 21. The Thunnell family has also set up a fundraising page for his music career.
