They say it takes practice to play Carnegie Hall. This 13-year-old has done it 3 times.
Some people spend their entire lives dreaming of the chance to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall.
The lights. The sights. The history. The audience roaring with applause. If you get the chance to play there, you know you're doing it right.
Pianist Sriram Narayanan might as well receive a frequent performer card for his time spent on stage there.
All images via Sunanda Narayanan, used with permission.
Sriram has dazzled audiences at Carnegie Hall not once, not twice, but THREE times. Did I mention he's only 13 years old?
That's quite an accomplishment for anyone, let alone someone who's barely considered a teenager. But Sriram thrives under the pressure. For a child with other challenges, music has been an incredible outlet for him.
"He doesn't get nervous," said his piano teacher, Tatyana Dudochkin of the New England Conservatory. "He enjoys performing so much for an audience and sharing his joy. He absolutely loves when people clap and cheer for him."
And cheer for him they do.
He's always practicing!
Sriram's success is a testament to the power of patience and encouragement — especially with kids.
Learning is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal for many children, including Sriram. As a toddler, Sriram was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder (APD) — a condition an estimated 5-7% of children live with today. APD can make it difficult to recognize sounds in words, understand the messages of others, remember information presented verbally, and localize sounds, among other things.
That means for people living with APD, it can take a little bit more time to figure out directions, complete a homework assignment, or memorize a new song on the piano. But just as we all learn differently, those with APD do too, and patience and understanding from others helps to play a big role in their development.
It's what helped Sriram find his own path.
"I just started to work with him and it was difficult," said his teacher Tatyana, "but he loved learning the music I played for him and he was very passionate about it. When I pushed him to do even more, he did it, and it helped to build a lot of confidence."
Sriram and his teacher, Tatyana Dudochkin.
Sriram found an area where he shines — and that has helped him in every aspect of his life.
When Sriram was encouraged to start doing competitions, it took him to a whole new level. In addition to the competitions that have landed him at Carnegie Hall, he has won many others, including receiving honorable mention as the youngest contestant of the 2016 "Newton Has Talent."
Between his family, his music mentors, his school Learning Prep, and others, he knows he has a community of support behind him in his journey.
Sriram at "Newton Has Talent"/YouTube.
It's important for children to be able to explore various hobbies and interests while they're young. Every kid is different — living with APD or not — and you never know what will stick.
When Sriram was 4, his mom, Sunanda gave him a keyboard that was destined for the trash. She thought it would keep him occupied for a while. What she didn't realize was the path it would lead him on.
"All of a sudden he was teaching himself songs from 'The Sound of Music' by ear," she said.
Fast forward nine years later, he's showing us all what he can do from the big bright stage.
As Sunanda says, "It is amazing to see him be social and to show off his talent. Music is going to be a very integrated part of his life."
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."