At a recorded performance of a Mozart piece at Boston Symphony Hall, a little boy said at the very conclusion, at the very moment when you could hear a pin drop, a very audible “WOW.” The audience laughed and applauded.
The Handel and Haydn Society searched and found the child. He was attending the concert with his grandfather, who said the child was on the autism spectrum and he had never seen the child react so enthusiastically.
The Handel & Haydn Society had just finished its rendition of Mozart’s ‘‘Masonic Funeral’’ at Boston’s Symphony Hall on Sunday when a youngster blurted out loudly: ‘‘WOW!’’
Boston classical music station WCRB-FM captured the exuberance on audio. The crowd can be heard bursting first into laughter and then rousing applause for the child… [The sound track: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/post/do-you-know-wow-child#stream/0%5D
“We have found the ‘wow’ child!” the group announced in a Facebook post Thursday evening.
He is a nine-year-old boy from New Hampshire.
Music is indeed a universal language that speaks to all of us.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Such a lovely post. Thank you – I had not seen this story before.
Oh my Lord. That recording is priceless!!!
Didn’t you love that moment when the audience was totally silent and all you could hear was a little child saying “WOW”?
I did.
How wonderful that this 9 year old loved Mozart this much. Here’s to the grandfather who cared enough to bring his grandson to the concert.
Children must be exposed to music so that it can enrich their lives. How sad that schools have always been cutting the arts first because ‘they aren’t important’.
When I worked in Chicago Height, IL, the referendum didn’t pass by 9 votes. The music program was totally cut. I left the district. Eventually it came back with one teacher covering 11 schools. Half of the schools got music 1/2 hour a week for the first semester and the rest of the schools got music 1/2 the second semester. That isn’t enough for children to learn anything. How sad.
I have no idea what is happening in this district today.
Enjoy this demonstration for an audience of scientists in answer to the question: When does sound become music?
Laura, I usually trust your recommendations. This one didn’t work for me. I prefer “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
The Youtube I intended to upload is not this one. The same performer inticed the audience into a musical experience using sounds and body motion. The audience amazed themselves. Sorry for the wrong move, but I could not cancel the post.
This YouTube is not the one I intended to post, but I could not cancel it. In another the sound-maker inticed the audience into making music and surprising themselves. Not high art with a wow, granted.
What a charming story–brings tears. CBK
I have to learn to stop clicking on things I know are going to make my eyes water when I’m in out public on my phone.
How beautiful was that!
Wow.
LeftCoast I usually don’t click either, but this time . . . .Wow. CBK
When our daughter was a very young girl, she would erupt at the climatic moment of Cinderella or some other story. People at the movie theater would tell us that they enjoyed watching her watch the movie. I might have been tempted to keep her from attracting attention, but she was so into the story that I was loathe to intervene.
We would all do well to react that way. My mother acted that way when I got to take her to the symphony one time. She was seventy five, and she never lost the enthusiastic attitude of a child.
Ah, innocence and curiosity of children.
(And, fortunately (hopefully) Mozart isn’t on some standardized test to suck the life out of it)
How wonderful! I hope this brings the boy lots of goodness in his life.Ellen Cogan
WOW … MUSIC does touch the soul.
STEM without humanities doesn’t get us anywhere.
I’m so glad he was found and will be given the opportunity to meet the conductor and the orchestra members…and perhaps go to another performance. This was such a sweet, innocent story of a child who was affected by the music he heard and he reacted with joy.
Diane, thank you for this uplifting story reaffirming that there are good news stories out there, & for the actual recording–made my day.
WOW
WOW indeed!