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STUDENT DEBUTS NEW CD AT PIANO CONCERT
6/5/2006
Student who is hearing impaired performs music
The sounds of music will fill the halls of CBC High School’s Gundaker Theater on Wednesday evening June 14 when Jeff Potter performs selections from his latest CD, “Watch Out, Potter’s Steppin Out.” The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free; however, any donations made will benefit children and youth who are deaf and hard of hearing through the Special Education Foundation.
Potter, a sophomore at CBC High School, has been hearing impaired since birth. He has been playing the piano since the age of three. Unlike most individuals who learn to play the piano by reading notes, Potter learned to play by listening to songs and “hearing notes in his head.” As a three-year old, he sat with his sister and listened while she played a song on the piano. He then repeated the song verbatim. When asked how he composes songs Potter states “I don’t know how to explain it. I hear the notes in my head and I feel the way the song should sound, then just play from my heart.”
“Jeff Potter is simply amazing,” states Gene McNary, Special Education Foundation Board President. “To say that I am impressed is an understatement. This young man is unbelievably talented and truly remarkable, as all of you will hear at the concert.”
Following the concert, Potter will sell his CDs for $10.00. He will donate 60% of the CD profits to the Special Education Foundation’s Dianne Arbeiter Fund for the deaf and hard of hearing. Potter wants to help and support other children and youth who have hearing loss.
“Jeff Potter is a young man with outstanding talent.” states Karen Carter, a teacher in the deaf and hard of hearing programs at the Special School District. “But Jeff’s gifts also come in the form of caring and generosity—to actually give back to others in need is a real testament to Jeff’s character.”
Carter discovered the talents of Jeff Potter in December 2004 when he was a “last minute” substitute pianist at a fund-raising event, “The Dianne Arbeiter Celebration of Success,” to benefit students in deaf and hard of hearing programs. Potter received such rave reviews from event participants that Carter initiated the performance and subsequent release of Potter’s first CD, “The Music I Hear.” A Holiday Music CD was released the following year. Potter has sold more than 1,200 of his two CD’s.
The Special Education Foundation was established in 1984 to provide assistance for children in areas not supported by tax dollars. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to assist children with disabilities achieve success in areas not funded by tax dollars. The Foundation does this through scholarships, camperships, teacher mini-grants, hearing aids, eyeglasses and other specialized equipment, leadership programs, parent support groups and other endeavors that enhance success beyond the classroom. The Foundation relies solely on private donations for support. No funds are received from government sources, United Way or the Special School District.
Who: Jeff Potter, CBC High School sophomore
What: Piano concert, “Watch Out, Potter’s Steppin Out”
When: 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Where: CBC High School Gundaker Auditorium
Why: Celebrate talents of pianist Jeff Potter
Information; Diane Buhr, Executive Director, Special Education Foundation
314-567-8100 or 314-567-7705 ext. 1300
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