Ethan and Noah are twin brothers. Ethan had a rough start in life, born weighing less than a pound. In 2000, he had the honor of being the smallest baby born to survive at Fairview Hospitals. The struggles of such a tiny baby left him with disabilities. He is blind and autistic; and has cerebral palsy, hearing loss and a stutter. In spite of his challenges, he is genuinely happy. He is drawn to laughter, crowds and music. Even when he was a preemie in the hospital, he’d bounce his arms and legs when he heard music with a good beat. Ethan’s grandmother introduced him to the piano at age 2, and he’s been playing ever since. Today, he plays keyboard in two rock bands—3 Strings in Minneapolis and Macphail’s own Rock On. He likes almost every genre of music from K-Pop and Afrobeat to Schubert and Broadway. There’s only one genre he avoids, but you’ll have to ask him to find out what it is.
Noah once asked if he could learn 50 instruments and have 300 hobbies. His family said, “Let’s start with a few and see where it goes.” Noah is blind and autistic, and has epilepsy. His disabilities haven’t slowed him down. Noah began piano lessons at Macphail a decade ago. He loves to play medleys from musicals and classical duets with his twin brother. He recently began learning the stand-up bass, which he calls his new favorite instrument. Noah is an actor at Interact Theater, and he loves being on the stage. He belongs to a tap dance company with performances at nursing homes and senior centers. He loves downhill skiing in winter and tandem bike riding in summer. Next on his list is to learn to ice skate and water ski.
