Mar. 20--Justin Eccleston is blind, but he has a vision.
"I like classical," said the 20-year-old who one day wants to become a professional piano player.
The Mira Loma High School graduate said he started playing piano 12 years ago by listening to recordings.
Eccleston uses few words when he speaks because he also has autism, which limits his communication abilities.
Although he can't carry on a conversation, he can perform a concerto. Twice a week for the past several months, he has been giving performances at the Aegis senior center in Carmichael.
Recently, his fingers glided across the keyboard of a baby grand piano emanating the sounds of Mozart and Chopin that lulled a crowd of about 20 residents.
"I played piano, and when I found out he was blind, I couldn't believe it," said Philmore Graham, a 69-year-old resident.
Sitting near Graham in the bistro room, which serves as an entertainment center for the residents, was 87-year-old Oleva Winterberger.
Winterberger said she, too, has a keen ear for quality piano playing.
"I know piano music, and these are wonderful melodies. His music is special," Winterberger said, as Eccleston played for more than an hour.
Paul Melkonian, a piano teacher for the past 22 years who has taught hundreds of students, said Eccleston's dream vocation could be a reality.
"He is comfortable playing. I could see him playing piano for a living," Melkonian said.
"He has perfect pitch, which means I can play any note on the piano and he can tell me what note it is and match it on another piano," said Melkonian, who has taught Eccleston for more than 10 years.
"He has such internal musical ability. "He doesn't express himself very much, but I can see in his hands and in his face when he gets excited about music."
Melkonian has a bachelor of arts degree in music and a master's degree in teaching piano.
Eccleston's mother, Tish Eccleston, said her son, who lost his sight when he was 3 and was diagnosed with autism at 16, has always loved music.
"When he was a baby, he had one of those toy pianos," she said. "He listens to music every minute he is not working or doing his chores."
Eccleston, who is paid to play piano at Aegis, first began working at the senior center's dining room his sophomore year in high school.
"Since he couldn't see, he would learn how to bus tables by feeling the handrails of the chairs and placing the silverware in front of the seat," said Joyce Johnson, an instructional assistant in a special education program for high school-age students.
After graduating in 2006, Eccleston transferred to another program for adults with disabilities that teach life skills and help them find jobs.
Sandy McNulty, a youth employment tech for the program, WorkAbility, said after hearing Eccleston play piano, it was easy to see what kind of job most suited him.
"I heard him at a talent show. I was blown away at his ability. That is when we started to connect the dots," McNulty said.
Shelley Edwards, a special education teacher for the past 27 years, is also Eccleston's teacher. She believes he is exceptional.
"His impairment doesn't hinder him," she said.
Eccleston, a former high school wrestler, is taking weight-training classes at American River College. He also sings in a choir, square dances in a group, swims and plays basketball, she said.
"He is fearless and comfortable of where he is at," Edwards said.
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