Music can be captivating. And for Tallon Sandoval of Janesville, California that captivation came early in life.
"He was only about four and I picked him up at pre-school one day and he just said he wanted to play fiddle," says Talons' mother Lori Sandoval. "And I was like whaaat? Because it was so far out of the blue. Neither his father or I had ever played an instrument."
It turns out he'd seen his best friend's grandmother play the fiddle and it stuck a chord with him.
"I loved everything about," Tallon says. "I mean the way it sounds to my ear when I play and the music and I just felt at home with it."
He's 18 now and has amassed a cabinet full of awards from local, state and national competitions. He's traveled across the country playing and he Skypes his lessons with role models across the country to keep him moving forward. His parents have saved clippings of his success. They say they never questioned that he could continue as long as his passion for it lasted.
"He had the opportunity of a lifetime to play for the Dalai Lama last year. To see him on stage with his holiness was amazing!" says Eddie Sandoval, Tallon's father.
This fall, Tallon will be going off to college. His mother says the music will help him there too.
"It's helped him with confidence and I think it helped him learn another language so quickly too," she says.
"I'm excited about college. I plan to minor in music. And I haven't decided on a major yet, maybe international business or even economics," Tallon says. "I'll see when I get there."
Now there's a kid with harmony for life.Â
