Page 53 - SPIRE JulySep 2022 3rd Issue DIGITAL

F E A T U R E S

Will's mala on the mic stand, and told Will he was
going to make him one, and knowing that I had
also purchased tickets for the Plymouth show
that he would give it to him there. When we
finally said our goodbyes to Will, Alex walked
away and said "Mom, I'm basically friends with
Will Evans!" He felt such a connection to Will,
that in the weeks leading up to the Spire Center
show, Alex designed and made the mala, while
listening to Will's music on Spotify.

The messages Will writes in his lyrics are so genuine
and kind, I was excited to see how the kids were
really taking it to heart, and it was resonating in
them the same way it had for Randy and I. I was so
excited as a matter of fact, that I went back online
and purchased another 3 tickets for the Spire show,
thinking that I just had a feeling I should. Well, that's
how Max ended up going, lol. He rides my bus too,
the same run as Landon, and so had been listening
to all the songs we played and hearing all the buzz
and excitement about Will's show in Plymouth. Max
always sits right behind me and chat's the whole
ride, and since he is my first student on and the last
student off, we get to spend a fair amount of time
on the bus together. I asked Max if he would want
to join us, as I had a few extra tickets, so I chatted
with his mom and she said he could go. I had
extended the other two tickets to my students as
well, but they were unable to attend. The day
before the concert, I went into Landon's school and
helped him make two letters for Will. He typed
them out on his braille typewriter. They both said
the same thing, but the one he wanted to give Will
as a gift not only had the braille but also all the
words so Will could read it. The second, which was
only in braille, was for Landon to get autographed
and keep. We had a lot of fun making them, and
Landon taught me a lot that day.

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: WILL EVANS; MISS JEN &
ALEX; ALEX, MAX AND LANDON