Keys to Life

Piano junior Nicholas Stan lives with amniotic band syndrome- and a love for piano.

Story By Communications major Bailey Arnone
Photo by Communications Senior Olivia Williams

In kindergarten, at an age when most children are only just beginning to develop interests, Stan’s love for piano blossomed, and he began learning from an instructor with piano junior Anthony Stan, his twin brother. 

“We started off with casual lessons. (My brother and I) were young, and we didn’t have the patience to sit at the piano for too much time. Once we moved to Florida and found out about Bak (Middle School of the Arts), we figured we could take it more seriously,” Stan said.

Once he recognized his affinity for piano, Stan’s life began to change in nearly every aspect. He attributes much of his social, academic, and creative growth to his instrument and the community surrounding it.

“The environment is so ambitious. In middle school, I was lazy and disorganized, but I’ve become a completely different person in high school. I heard one of my friends was taking AP Psychology online as a freshman so I took it. Eventually, I saw how competitive my friends were, and the year after that, I took six,” Stan said. 

But perhaps the aspect of his department that Stan finds the most impactful to him are the close bonds and relationships he has formed with his peers.

“The way (piano) has changed me the most is not by playing the instrument, but rather the people I'm around. We consider our piano classes huge, even though (there are) maybe less than 20 people in my class. After a year or two, you know everyone and everyone knows you… and that's what makes it fun. It's a really supportive community,” Stan said. 

What makes an individual distinctive from a crowd may be their talent and the impression they make upon others, or possibly what makes them unique and unlike the rest. For Stan, it’s both. 

Born with amniotic band syndrome, a condition that, according to the Boston Children’s Hospital, causes “fibrous bands of the amniotic sac [to] become entangled around a developing fetus”. This condition affects one in every 10,000-15,000 pregnancies and resulted in Stan being born with just two functional fingers on his left hand. 

“A lot of people don't realize at first, just because my arms seem normal, but really my left arm is a lot thinner than my right arm. It's also shorter, and my palm is half the size,” Stan said. 

Despite what would seemingly deter him from an instrument that so heavily relies on his hands, Stan’s hands were never a consideration in that regard. To him, it was just a part of who he was, not what defined him. 

“People have gotten used to making jokes about it, so sometimes some of them are a little insensitive, but I think people are just over curious about things that are different. What makes me unique is just something that makes them normal,” Stan said. 

Stan’s art area and love for piano has provided him with the opportunity to grow as both a person and artist, and regardless of outside judgment, he has found motivation within himself to achieve whatever he sets his mind to and take advantage of what life has to offer. 

“I want to go to med school, and I want to be a surgeon. Playing piano, my fingers have definitely gotten a lot stronger, I can already tell the difference. What I do here, I know it will matter for my future,” Stan said.