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.*
*It’s country music.
