Zach and Charlie have never played together.
Not yet.
But their stories echo in powerful harmony — two extraordinary musicians, both with perfect pitch, both born into systems that saw their complexity before their talent.

Zach is a classically trained pianist and emerging vocalist whose relationship with music is lifelong. For him, music is more than art — it’s how he connects, communicates, and exists in the world. As a DeafBlind and autistic musician with a complex communication disorder, Zach’s way of expressing himself may be complex — but it is also powerful, moving, and entirely his own. He has received numerous awards recognizing his extraordinary musical gifts, yet for most of his school years, he was excluded from choirs, ensembles, and music classes. Not because he lacked ability, but because people couldn’t see past his complexity to the artist within. At Circle of Fifths, we begin with musicians like Zach. We build from their strengths, from their gifts, and from their way of belonging.

Charlie is a gifted multi-instrumentalist with perfect pitch and a profound connection to music. He reads music, plays intuitively, and brings a vibrant presence to every note he plays. Like Zach, Charlie has encountered barriers in spaces not built with him in mind, where the expectations were rigid and the systems too inflexible to recognize brilliance that doesn’t come in typical form.

What connects Zach and Charlie isn’t just musical talent — it’s a shared, deeply human need to belong. Music has always been their way in, especially when the world offered no easy entry. In music, they are not defined by diagnoses or limitations. They are seen, heard, and valued — not just as learners, but as artists.

Circle of Fifths exists because of students like Zach and Charlie.
Because every artist deserves a real place in the musical community. Raw talent and a deep, authentic desire to make music should never be met with closed doors. The need to express, to belong, to be understood — that isn’t a special need. It’s a human one. Zach and Charlie showed us what’s possible when creativity is welcomed and when people are given the chance to thrive. They didn’t simply inspire a program — they are inspiring a movement that expands how we see, value, and celebrate all musicians. This is just the beginning — come be a part of it.