Student Spotlight: Arvindh Senthilvelan
Arvindh Senthilvelan’s journey to and through LIHSA has been nontraditional, but nothing short of extraordinary. His musical talents have been joyous, mesmerizing, and inspirational to watch blossom over the years.
At the age of 1 ½, Arvindh was diagnosed with autism. Even at that age, he showed an intense interest in music. Music would calm him and allow him to focus. His mom, Meena, shared, “If we played music in the house, he’d run right into the living room and hug the speaker.”
Initially too young to find a teacher, Arvindh was accepted by the Special Music Academy for Special Learners as their first student when he was 3 ½. He was a sponge for learning piano and had his first recital when he was 4 ½ – performing Beethoven!
At 9 or 10, it was confirmed that Arvindh has perfect pitch. Music makes Arvindh happy and takes him away from the challenges he faces. He cannot have conversations verbally, but he can communicate beautifully through music. Meena shares, “His life is music. He breathes music.”
Arvindh has earned a certificate from Julliard in Core Musical Skills and is currently working on a composition certificate. He shines as a composer of music, especially classical, jazz, Indian music styles. You can listen to an example of a classical piece he composed on his YouTube channel, where you can also view performance videos. His music is soulful and technically high end.
New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) recognized Arvindh’s talent with perfect scores in four different categories! These include Classical Piano, Jazz Piano, Classical Guitar, and Jazz Guitar.
In high school, Arvindh and his family learned about LIHSA and he has thrived during his time at the school. Principal Lindsay Rogan shares, “Arvindh has been an outstanding student at LIHSA for several years and I can’t say enough about his talent. While at LIHSA, he has had the opportunity to study with so many talented musicians and he has played everything from classical to contemporary pieces as a Performing Arts Music student. It goes without saying that Arvindh is incredibly talented, but he is also a kind and friendly face at LIHSA. He has a personal connection to everyone here and his kindness and professionalism is present on stage and on the LIHSA campus every single day. We are so lucky to have him as a student.” Arvindh has been a member of Tri-M Music Honor Society for 4 years and currently serves as Honorary Historian.
Arvindh has loved his time at LIHSA and the family is grateful for the support they’ve received from Principal Lindsay Rogan, Alex Vietheer, and Jerry Nobile. In addition to playing music daily, he especially has treasured the performance opportunities both within the school as well as supporting external events such as the pre-performance holiday music he provided at Hofstra University during The Nutcracker production.
Outside of school, Arvindh volunteers to perform in other locations. He performs for seniors at the Huntington Senior Center and regularly brings his audience to tears with his skill and repertoire. He has also supported a number of events for the Indian community, including performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center and with a jazz troupe with Kaufman Music Center. He has also performed at the American Eye Foundation Charitable Gala at Joe’s Pub, New York with “Guitar” Prasanna and band as well as at a Special Festival at La Spezia, Italy with Italian Opera singer Jonathan Cilia Fara!
Music is Arvindh’s life and he aspires to compose music for movies and TV shows. We can’t wait to hear your music everywhere, Arvindh!
