GIG HARBOR, Wash. — In a huge house outside Gig Harbor people who might have been sidelined for their differences are instead put on stage. Their musical talents on full display.
"Music is a wonderful way to show who you are," said Amanda Gresham, musical director of United By Music America, a non-profit that teams up professional musicians with those on the autism spectrum.
Gresham provides encouragement and a safe place for people like twins Marissa and Kelsey Weddle. Both were born with perfect pitch and both are on the spectrum.
"I don't think of autism as a burden," Kelsey said. "I think of it as a super-power."
"Autism and music go together like bread and butter," added her sister Marissa.
"Music helps us understand the world around us and how to communicate with other people," Kelsey said.
Drummer Malcolm Monaghan discovered he was on the spectrum at age 13.
"I wouldn't be half the drummer, or a drummer at all, without autism," he said.
Monaghan can remember arrangements he's only played once before.
"Autism gives me this I would almost say super hyper-like Star Wars light speed focus," he said.
Founded in the Netherlands in 2005, United By Music expanded to America in 2012 when Barbara Hammerman and her daughter Amanda decided to provide a stage-lit platform for talented musicians on the spectrum.
"When they are on stage, music is their livelihood," said Gresham. "It is who they are and expressing their joy through music makes my heart so fulfilled."
She also sees confidence blooming. As the drummer, Monaghan considers himself the engine of the band.
"I always tell my band like if there's a problem 'Hey trust me, follow me, we'll get you through this,'" he said. "I think that goes a long way with everything."
"United By Music is like a family," Kelsey Weddle said. "Everybody's always looking out for each other."
Here the music isn't just "good enough." While we were visiting, Amanda Gresham shared big news that one of their songs would be featured in an upcoming Tyler Perry movie.
They've been called disabled. But united by music, these talented musicians are proving they're just differently-abled and that their dreams also deserve to come true.
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