95 Year-Old WWII Vet Meets 16 Year-Old Piano Prodigy

Last week Teresa Price of Bloomfield Hills reached out to Axis Music Academy in Birmingham in search of a piano student to play some music at her father's 95th birthday party. Her father Hal happens to be one of the last surviving veterans of World War II in the state of Michigan. Hal has always loved classical piano and show tunes and the search was on for someone to play both.

Axis Music Academy immediately contacted their best piano student, 16 year-old Michael Najor, a sophomore at Bloomfield Hills High School. Michael has been taking piano lessons with Jay Davis at Axis for six years now and has been described by Jay as a "piano prodigy". Michael has recently had the honor of being accepted into the very prestigious Interlochen Arts Summer Music Camp. When asked to perform for Hal, a surviving WWII veteran, Michael answered with an enthusiastic "YES" before the question was even finished.

So on Saturday, April 13th, Michael and his mother Cheri traveled to Sunrise Senior Living Center in Farmington Hills to perform for Hal and his closest family and friends. Michael sat down at the baby grand piano inside the community room and delivered a fifteen minute medley of musical pieces much to the delight of everyone in attendance, especially Hal. After the piece Hal lit up so much that he jumped out of his wheelchair and gave us a smile that won't soon be forgotten.

Thank you for your service to this planet Hal, and we hope you had a very happy birthday, sir.