Light up life with music
    Chou, Hsuan-Wei, who is currently studying in the first grade of middle school at Taichung School for the Visually Impaired, suffered from retinopathy due to premature birth. After the doctor's diagnosis and treatment, he was confirmed to be double-blind for life.
    As Hsuan-Wei grew up, he also began to realize the fact that he couldn't see. He once asked his mother sadly: Why can't I see?
    Hsuan-Wei's mother smiled and said, "It doesn't matter even you can't see. You are no different from us. You have nose, eyes, and mouth. Most importantly, you are lucky to have healthy limbs. As long as you try hard, you will achieve your goals."
    Relying on his sensitivity to sound and his innate musical talent, Chou, Hsuan-Wei explored and studied the piano by himself, and worked hard to achieve his exquisite piano skills!
    Defect - become the help of Hsuan-Wei's growth. Although his congenital disability brings inconvenience, Hsuan-Wei, who has good musicality can not only play the piano, the jazz drum, the saxophone, but also have first-class singing and speech skills. Music has composed the most beautiful melody in his life!
Hsuan-Wei, who has just started learning Saxophone in 2019, could play all kinds of songs in just one year. In 2020, he participated in the Taichung music competition, stood out among many music leaders and won the championship!
    When the outside world gave him great affirmation, Hsuan-Wei said modestly that he had no other skills to play the instrument except using his heart!
    Hsuan-Wei's mother told him that everyone has the right to dream. Although Hsuan-Wei can't see, he is no different from ordinary people. As long as he works hard, his dream will come true!
    As a blind person, Hsuan-Wei has many limitations to overcome in learning music. It is very difficult for him to read music scores, remember music scores, identify positions, and even move!
    No matter it is the study or performance, Hsuan-Wei has to spend more effort and time than others to complete it. However, Hsuan-Wei always overcomes it with an optimistic and positive attitude.
    Therefore, Chou, Hsuan-Wei is proficient in three kinds of musical instruments, singing and speaking. He even often participates in competitions on behalf of his school. At the same time, he does not forget to give back to the society. He has participated in public welfare activities such as 2019 Taichung The Cafe by "music (fund-raising) dinner from heaven" and 2020 Bright Taichung thousand-people Saxophone performance. He also won the first solo in group A of elementary school popular music in Taichung teachers and students Saxophone competition, the third place in the singing group of the national OTI cup visually impaired one million stars singing and musical instrument competition, the special award (piano) of the instrumental student group of the national visually impaired music festival competition, and the third place in the student group of the national visually impaired country and Taiwanese speech competition in 2019. With his love and talent for music, he influenced life with his own, inspired people with music, and promised to himself to become an outstanding musician in the future, all of these make him worthy of being a "blind versatile warrior".
My parents are my talent scout
    Chou, Hsuan-Wei couldn't wait to explore the world when her mother was 31 weeks pregnant. Because he was born prematurely with a weight of only 2480 grams, Hsuan-Wei had to live in an incubator as soon as he was born. At the same time, he also suffered from retinopathy of prematurity!
    Hsuan-Wei has undergone several surgeries, but his eyes are still unable to see... when he is still a baby, his mother tried very hard to raise him. Even when he left the incubator, Hsuan-Wei was still wearing a respirator and detector; sometimes he could make himself anoxia when drinking milk, and even forget to breathe in deep sleep with short sleep time!
    When he was more than 2 years old, Hsuan-Wei was able to move freely. Although his oral ability was not good, his singing ability was excellent!
    Hsuan-Wei used to drive with his parents when he was a child. When sitting in the car, he always listened to the songs played on the stereo and sang along with the music!
    Hsuan-Wei always likes to take the toy piano to the TV and lean his ear against the TV to listen to sounds and songs. Therefore, his parents inadvertently found that Hsuan-Wei can play the music with the toy piano!
    Since then, Hsuan-Wei's parents feel that no matter how hard they have to work, they should let Hsuan-Wei learn piano and music!
    After primary school, Hsuan-Wei's mother chose to let him stay in order to let him learn to take care of himself.
    Every time Hsuan-Wei said goodbye to his mother at the school gate, he would cry silently. But in order to let his mother see his progress and efforts, he studied and took care of his life more seriously!
   Transfer to Taichung School for the Visually Impaired. Say goodbye to loneliness alone
    The three-year study experience in primary school is the most devastating period for Hsuan-Wei!
    No matter how hard Hsuan-Wei tried, he was always not recognized... Teachers and schools have even asked his mother to let Hsuan-Wei take drugs to control hyperactivity!
    However, his mother took him to the hospital for evaluation three times. The doctor diagnosed that Hsuan-Wei was not hyperactive and did not need to take any drugs. However, the school and teachers  insisted on putting forward such requirements to the family. Even when he played the same music on the piano was prohibited and they asked Hsuan-Wei to forget the song.
    Hsuan-Wei felt that the teacher treated him differently from other students. The teacher once pinched Hsuan-Wei's ears, grabbed his ankles, or twisted his hands, or kicked the chair suddenly, and even asked     Hsuan-Wei not to tell his parents about this!
    Hsuan-Wei was smart but active, which made the teachers a little biased against him, and often isolated him in the class. At that time, Hsuan-Wei was very, very hurt in the face of such a situation, and full of fear, frustration, uneasiness, irritability, etc. Hsuan-Wei's parents were very worried about his situation and tried to communicate with the school. The answer given to them by the school was to Hsuan-Wei to take psychological examination, taking drugs to control hyperactivity, etc.
    Having no one to turn to, Hsuan-Wei's mother asked her former music teacher Cai Peishan for opinion. Finally, his mother took teacher Cai's advice and transfer Hsuan-Wei to Taichung School for the Visually Impaired in grade 4, so that Hsuan-Wei could study in a different environment.
Every cry and laugh, and start to run again
    At Taichung School for the Visually Impaired, teacher Cai Peishan, who teaches individual piano lessons, met Hsuan-Wei at the chance meeting.
    At that time, Hsuan-Wei was thin and small, but he was very keen on percussion instruments. In music class, Hsuan-Wei was very lively and answered questions quickly. He was a child with great musical talent!
    When they meet each other on campus, Hsuan-Wei always warmly greets Ms. Cai politely.
    At that time, Hsuan-Wei's first grade tutor once told Ms. Cai, "Hsuan-Wei has sensitive ears. When he hears songs, he will explore the electronic organ and play the songs he hears!"
    The tutor at that time asked Ms. Cai to teach Hsuan-Wei piano, but after a period of time, Ms. Cai left the school because of the personnel change of the school.
    It is not until the fate meeting, when Hsuan-Wei's mother asked Ms. Cai to be a piano teacher to guide Hsuan-Wei in piano that they met eaxh other again.
    At first, Hsuan-Wei's piano playing was standardized, and he played only one song every time, repeating again and again. Hsuan-Wei's hand shape was also crooked, and the piano foundation was not complete.
    Hsuan-Wei and her mother listened to Ms. Cai's suggestion: let Hsuan-Wei practice her fingering, hand shape and basic skills of playing the piano again. At the same time, it is also required to treat Hsuan-    Wei as a normal child, follow the pace rather than the music, and follow the piano textbook, and have a fixed progress.
    Basic training is boring enough for children with normal eyesight and make them easy to give up. And it's necessary to change their wrong piano playing habits. Unless the children are very patient and love music, they often give up halfway, not to mention Hsuan-Wei, who is blind.
    However, Hsuan-Wei's determination and efforts, coupled with step-by-step practice, as well as serious attitude and efforts!
    Gradually, Hsuan-Wei changed from the original state of lack of self-confidence to find passion and love for the piano. Not only that, Hsuan-Wei began to practice by himself and spent nearly a year rebuilding the foundation of the piano learning. Now he is no longer hesitated and uncertain in playing piano. Hsuan-Wei signed up for the OTI cup piano competition and the 27th visually impaired music competition!
    Chou, Hsuan-Wei has four years of experience in participating in the national OTI cup singing competition. He didn't enter the finals in the first three times, but it didn't put out his enthusiasm for singing!
Finally, in the fourth competition, Hsuan-Wei stood out among the players and entered the Taipei finals!
    At that time, the judge asked why Hsuan-Wei chose the song "Hello tomorrow".
    Hsuan-Wei replied, "the lyrics of this song are exactly what in my heart."
 
When I grow up, what I can do is to run
I'm so afraid of falling in the dark
Hello tomorrow, a smile with tears
The more beautiful, the more I am afraid to get it
Every cry and laugh, and start to run again
Looking for something while losing it
Hello tomorrow how small the sound is
But it remind me what courage is
 
    It makes me understand that no matter what setbacks or fears I encounter when I grow up, I should face them bravely and keep running forward! Even if I fall, I will stand up with a smile again! "
At that time, Hsuan-Wei took part in the competition with a bad cold, but he insisted on the spirit of not giving up and finally won the third place in the singing group (all ages)!
    Get encouragement from all walks of life. Not losing it idea.
    Principal Liao Lianxi of Taichung School for the Visually Impaired introduced Hsuan-Wei to the Saxophone teacher Zheng Ruixian.
    Teacher Zheng not only taught Hsuan-Wei many skills in music, but also introduced Hsuan-Wei's life story to Wang Cairui, general manager and Chairman Zhang Zongyao of the Chang Lien-Cheng Saxophone Museum. In order to give Hsuan-Wei good musical instrument for learning, he gave him a beautiful Saxophone!
    The school also recommends Hsuan-Wei to participate in the 2020 Taichung teachers and students Saxophone competition. This is Hsuan-Wei's first time to participate in the saxophone competition. From the news to the date of the competition, there is only two weeks for practice!
    Teacher Zheng chose an English song, "You raise me up", for Hsuan-Wei, which is a very beautiful song!
    For the first time to participate in the saxophone competition, Xuan Wei attached great importance to it. As soon as he arrived at the scene, he saw president Liao and teacher Zheng, who made a special trip here to cheer him up!
    Although nervous, Hsuan-Wei is very happy to have so many people around who love him! In waiting time, Hsuan-Wei felt nervous and he ran to the bathroom all the time. When it was Hsuan-Wei's turn to come on stage, he told himself, "Chou, Hsuan-Wei, come on, you can do it!"
    At about 9:00 p.m. that day, at the moment of officially releasing the results, Chou, Hsuan-Wei really lived up to the expectations - won the first place in group A of students in the 2020 Taichung teachers and students saxophone competition!
    Zhou Hsuan-Wei's music road is not smooth, but he has a spirit of "not losing it ideas"!
    Hsuan-Wei never give up music easily. Along the way, he meets principal Liao Lianxi, teacher Zheng Ruixian, teacher Cai Peishan, teacher Wang Baoni, as well as his favorite parents, grandparents on the father and mother side. They all support Hsuan-Wei all the time!
    Hsuan-Wei is very grateful to everyone for their care and guidance. It is they who make today's Chou, Hsuan-Wei!
    Some people say that when God closes a door, he will open a window for you. Although Hsuan-Wei can't see things, he can feel the people, events and things around him with his heart, and is more willing to help others, give out happiness and warmth, and make the world a better place!
    So Hsuan-Wei told himself, "don't just think about what your eyes can't see, but see with your heart the truth, goodness and beauty of the world! As long as I don't give up myself, no one can give up me! In the future, I, Chou, Hsuan-Wei, will continue to work hard to heal everyone's hearts with music!"
    Not afraid of all difficulties. Determined to climb to the music mount everest
    At a young age, Chou, Hsuan-Wei experienced physical and mental torture. Fortunately, there were understanding parents who took good care of her, Cai Peishan, who gave him her guidance, and the warm     Taichung School for the Visually Impaired, which made Hsuan-Wei step by step and slowly ascend the peak of music; Also, they let Hsuan-Wei bravely challenge the limit - for example, the life poem "Rain Won't" by Japanese poet Kenji Miyazawa:
 
Rain won’t stop me.
Wind won’t stop me.
Neither will driving snow.
Sweltering summer heat will only
raise my determination.
With a body built for endurance,
a heart free of greed,
I’ll never lose my temper,
trying always to keep
a quiet smile on my face.
My daily diet must be simple
several heaped bowls of brown rice
some vegetables and miso
Profit must never be the issue
I'll listen to others, observe carefully, and refuse to forget
I'll make my home in a hut with a thatched roof
near a meadow surrounded by pine trees
If a child were to fall ill in the east
I'd run there to help with the nursing
If a mother were to overwork herself in the west
I'd be there to carry the heavy bundles of rice
If a man were on the verge of death in the south
I'd rush to soothe his fears
If bitter lawsuits and fighting were to break out in the north
I'd urge all parties to come together and talk things over
In days of drought,I'd weep,just weep
In unseasonable cold spells,I'd walk the fields and worry over the stunted crops
People may call me a fool
I doubt if anyone will applaud me
Then again,perhaps none will detest me either
All this is my goal
The person I want to become
 
Chou, Hsuan-Wei's excellent deeds:
    In 2020, won the first place in group A solo of elementary school popular music in the Taichung teachers and students saxophone competition
    The third place in the singing group of the national OTI cup visually impaired one million stars singing and musical instrument competition in 2019
    Special prize of instrumental music student group in 2019 national visually impaired music festival competition (piano)
    Third place in the student group of the national visually impaired Chinese and Taiwanese Speech Contest in 2019
    The fifth place in the student group of the national visually impaired Chinese and Taiwanese Speech Contest in 2018

---