10-year-old Yuvi Agarwal is about to begin fifth grade at The Village School in west Houston and he’s already making a mark in his community.
Yuvi loves music, a passion that started when he was a baby, according to his mom Priyanka, and he began playing instruments at a very early age.
“Maybe when I was around two or three, I started liking music and I started playing piano when I was four and I think drums when I was five,” Yuvi told us. “I started out with a tiny set from Five Below.”
He also loves animals. He said they have a dog named Bozo who seems to enjoy music too – at least the piano; but not really the drums.
“When I play the piano or when I play music just on my speakers or something, my dog just always just relaxes, lies down and just listens to the music,” Yuvi explained.
Yuvi participated in a program to read to the animals at Citizens for Animal Protection -- or CAP – a privately-run animal shelter in west Houston through his school. When he saw how the dogs seemed to calm down to music, it was a 'a-ha' moment for him.
“I decided to basically play music for the animals,” Yuvi said. “Definitely not drums, a melodious instrument such as piano, guitar, steel pan, and that will reduce their anxiety."
He pitched the idea to his mom with a two-page plan and came up with the name: Wild Tunes, which she encouraged.
“It just, you know, popped into my head,” Yuvi said.
His parents were very impressed.
“As parents, we're really proud of how he came up with this whole concept of Wild Tunes,” Priyanka told us. “He came up with the name, he came up with the design.”
The first few shelters passed on their idea, but they didn't give up. Then a family friend mentioned Yuvi to Houston Pets Alive, a rescue that works with BARC and the Harris County Animal Shelter to help save as many animals as possible, so did decided to give it a try.
Currently, Yuvi plays his piano for the dogs at Houston Pets Alive every week to help relax them and give them a little peace and joy. Some of the dogs even “play along” during his sessions by barking.
The Village School encourages students to “make a real-world impact” and Priyanka said they’ve been very supportive of the project.
Yuvi isn’t stopping here just yet.
“I want to expand it and eventually make it into a nationwide initiative where people can just openly participate,” he said. “And they just need to love animals and be able to play a melodious instrument.”
Priyanka said they also hope to host a holiday concert with Yuvi as the lead pianist to raise money for Houston Pets Alive.
Source: WTSP