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getting to march across the field
on Friday night's with band you get that warm fuzzy feeling you know and
you say hey I'm part in this band family
part of the Abilene High band family for the past three years
but Mariah Long's place here wasn't always so clear
the doctors knocked the props right out from underneath us and told us that there
would never be a chance
ever that's she would
potentially be able to see
Mariah was born one hundred percent blind. I can't see light or anything at all I do know
when the Sun is there though
I stopped and thought
why did it happen to me you know why was it
why was he God punishing me but then
You know I sat back and took upon myself to look
and see that he wasn't really punishing me he was given me a gift
Kimberly's gift was Mariah
Mariah's gift was music
A world without music would be well I'd go blind really
like more than I, more than I already am
because music
I can see things through music. She's actually a very good player
you can tell her what to play one time
and she can play it.
um...
she makes a few mistakes but not very many and not very often
Mariah isn't a student at Abilene High. She goes to ATEMS.
but her sophomore year a policy change it AISD
allowed her to take extracurricular classes like band at Abilene High
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
right, right, right. For Mariah it was a dream come true
since then she's been playing the baritone by year
she was band director Paul Walker's first completely blind student
It's improved my communication skills quite a bit and
um but it's also opened my eyes to how fast people can catch on to things
every minute of every class you know she's listening
marching was another challenge that's where Mariah's parents came in
last year her mother spent more than 150 hours at band practices helping
her learn the steps
woo, box drills. I hate box drills (laughs)
I wouldn't trade it for the world
I don't think I can let someone else
teach her to do what she does out on the field
somewhere along the way
it was Mariah who became the teacher. There are times when I kinda get down
and
think that there I there's no way I can do that
but she's like
mom if I can do it
you can do it. I've learned so much from her and I've learned so much about
kids and the human spirit. This is the first
and last year Mariah will march across the field with the Abilene High School Band
To look at her and see her face to see the excitement on her face
and the pride that her parents have in her and what she can do
it's why I teach. I didn't get where I'm at
just by sitting and letting people do things for me. I had to work
and it may not be easy but you know you you can do it. And there
may be times where you want to give up
and you cant.