Liza Khaliavchenko-Babych, a 13-year-old pianist from the mining town of Ordzhonikidze, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, has won several prizes at various international competitions. And recently she came up as a social networking sites “star” by winning the Grand Prix at an international children’s festival, Star Bridges, in Bulgaria. By her creative endeavors, Liza dismisses the claim that children with Down syndrome (a.k.a. “sunshine kids” in Ukraine) have no emotions.
The Day spoke with the talented Ukrainian girl’s mum Valentyna Ruban about music as a passport to the world as well as about kindness, responsibility, perseverance, and the life of people with Down syndrome.
“WE WENT TO A MUSIC SCHOOL WITHOUT ATTENDING A COMPREHENSIVE ONE”
Ms. Ruban, why is Liza so enthusiastic about music?
“She first went to the music school when she was five – Liza came out of the house on her own and walked to a… music school. Our whole family went searching for her; we thought we had lost the daughter, for she could not speak yet. Imagine how happy we were to find her next to the music school. The child was trying to go inside past the doorwoman. We and the entire kindergarten group were to go to school at seven and a half, but we were denied entry on August 31. We had already bought everything for school, and Liza was looking forward to this day. But we were told again to wait for one more year. I was once passing by the school in a very irritated mood, and something forced me to come inside. I went to the deputy principal and wrote a letter of application stating that the girl was special. She listened to me and advised the piano and the fine arts.
“It was the principal who was to decide our destiny. This time we were lucky. The school principal Antonina Zhukovska called me on September 4 to say that Liza had been enrolled to the departments of instrumental music (piano) and fine arts.
“So, we kept going to the music school without attending a comprehensive one. It was a strange situation. When the medico-psychological-pedagogical commission did not allow the child to go to a regular school, I showed the notes and said: ‘Why can we go to this [music] school but cannot attend a regular school?’ So, the notes sealed the fate of little Liza – we were allowed to go to a comprehensive school. The daughter has now been promoted to the 5th class in the music school (she started at the prep class) and to the 6th class in the regular school. She studies as an ordinary child – without any indulgence.”
“TO STUDY AND TO WORK IS LIZA’S MOTTO”
Do you remember her first successes? How do you manage to overcome day-to-day hardships?
“Our favorite teacher is Olena Semenukha, the deputy principal who once accepted our application to the music school. She took a motherly attitude to my child. She would take the little Liza on her lap and tell her fairytales about every note. There are no methods or manuals to teach this kind of kids. So, it was her heart, love, and kindness that taught my Lizzie. Then there was an online announcement that a documentary film was being made about people with special needs who go in for music. I sent a response, and, much to our surprise, a film crew came to us from Kyiv to make a TV program about Liza. They said that in fact nobody in Ukraine was professionally dealing with people who have Down syndrome. It is impossible. The Kyiv guests were pleasantly surprised to hear the daughter’s playing technique. We had thought that there were better results in other cities, but we managed to give concerts in the school and win good marks as well as appear at city and oblast festivals.
“On January 29 Liza and her teacher played several piano duets on the stage of Kyiv’s International Center of Culture and Arts. The performance was part of a charitable concert of the Dutch orchestra Jostiband, the world’s largest musical team consisting of mentally handicapped and Down syndrome people.
“It is the result of continuous work – she practices even in the summer and on holidays. We tried to have vacations, but this resulted in the loss of technique. So, we decided to practice all the time. Liza says she must study and work hard. It is her motto.”
Does Liza follow a special daily routine?
“Yes, the whole day is scheduled to the hour. The first tutor comes at 6:30 a.m., then it is school, music, and painting at half past one, then she dances, does her homework, and works with a Ukrainian language tutor. Our father says: ‘When I am about to go to work, you have already gone. When I come back, you are still away.’ The last class ends at seven. Liza is aware of having to make an all-out effort. She likes to be praised very much, so she’s doing her utmost. Whenever she is given nine points, she gets terribly upset and even cries. She’s been working very hard for seven years – hence is this result. She was taught to be self-organized and responsible.”
“MY DAUGHTER PLAYS FAIRYTALES TO PEOPLE”
How is the music born? What does Liza feel in the moments of creative work?
“Liza feels the music deep in her heart. She has her own idea of every opus. Take, for example, the fairytale about Cinderella. She imagines wearing a gorgeous dress in the ballroom and dancing with the prince charming. Her latest work, a waltz-blues, is about a rough sea: when the wave rises, she plays loudly, when the wave lowers, she plays more quietly. Liza says she plays fairytales to people. She likes very much to come out on the stage, bow, compose herself, play nicely, bow, and go. She looks forward to applauses and is very happy when it is all good. At the same time, she is very bashful. At festivals, participants are invited to the stage to receive awards. Lizzie was called out three times, but she stands in the first row, hiding her face in the hands and sobbing. Then she is approached and given the award. She wipes her tears away, and I ask: ‘Why are you crying?’ She says: ‘Out of joy.’ It is wrong to claim that ‘sunshine kids’ have no emotions. Liza dismisses all stereotypes. Firstly, she has a good and retentive memory. Secondly, she is eager to study. Thirdly, she is self-organized and confident in herself.”
What kind of a child is she at home?
“Liza is a kindhearted and complaisant girl. She loves her family very much. She has an elder sister, Vitalina (21 years her senior), and a nephew, Sashko. He is 17, and they are big friends. Sahsko used to nurse her. There’s also a beloved cat, Asya. A year ago, her teacher Viktoria Anatoliivna presented Lizzie with a birthday gift – a black-breasted kitten with a white bow. The kitten has grown to be a fluffy beauty and a family pet. Wherever Liza is, she tells everybody about her Asya. She makes it a point to feed the pussycat and clean up after her.
“Liza is very self-reliant. She goes to a store on her own to buy bread, milk, sausage, and all that I tell her to buy. She keeps her room and table tidy, she likes vacuum-cleaning. And, in general, we treat her as an ordinary child. If she does some harm, we can make her stand in the corner. She knows that we love her more than anybody else. And hope, faith, and love work wonders. The first wonder is music as a passport to the world of ‘regular’ people.”
A SPONSOR IS NEEDED FOR LIZA TO TRAVEL TO SPAIN FOR A FESTIVAL
What festivals and contests has she already attended?
“In 2012 we attended an international festival in Saint Petersburg. Liza was the only one from Ukraine, and the Russian media, including Filippok magazine, wrote about her. Then she performed in January 2013 at Kyiv’s October Palace as part of a charitable concert of the Dutch orchestra Jostiband. The orchestra conductor was pleasantly surprised to see that a 10-year-old girl knew so many musical pieces by heart. Last year Liza performed at the 14th International Festival ‘Golden Autumn’ in Budapest on a par with other children and won a silver prize. Liza has also won prizes at all-Ukrainian contests.’”
And then the year 2015, Bulgaria, victory!
“Yes! Thanks to the Petro Poroshenko Charitable Foundation. They helped her to attend the 2nd International Festival ‘Star Bridges’ in the Bulgarian city of Aheloy. There was a very nice opening of the festival – the flags of the participating countries were raised and children sang the anthem of their country. Representatives of a total eight countries took part in the fest. Liza won the Grand Prix in our nomination.”
What worries you the most?
“Spain has officially invited us to take part in an annual October festival. They invite very strong participants. But we have a problem again: we must find a sponsor. Although Liza is in the limelight of the press and television, we lack real help.
“And the main problem is unwillingness of our society to accept people with Down syndrome.”
