BROTHERS DRUM UP A HIT ON FACEBOOK
Oñate student’s drumline performance goes viral
Oñate High School students Aidan and Isaac Brealey-Rood’s drumline performance goes viral.
LAS CRUCES — Two brothers from Oñate High School — including one who has intellectual disabilities — gave their mom a surprise of a lifetime when both appeared in the drumline during the band’s first marching performance of the season.
“I’m floored, I had no idea this was going to happen,” said Carissa Brealey Bonacci, mom to Aidan Brealey-Rood, a sophomore, and Isaac Brealey-Rood, a freshman.
Carissa’s video of that performance has gone viral, viewed more than a million times on Facebook, and the story has been picked up internationally.
The story began last semester when Aidan decided to go out for marching band and asked his mom if Isaac — who has special needs — could attend summer band camp with him. Carissa, with some hesitation, agreed.
“It’s a lot of work in marching band and Isaac needs a lot of supervision. He can’t play anything so I wasn’t sure about it,” Carissa said. But she figured Isaac could help move equipment or provide water.
Carissa said Isaac wasn’t very communicative when he’d return home after a day at band camp. “He just says he has fun with his friends, but he was happy, so I felt good about it,” she said.
But when Carissa saw Isaac was a performing member of the band, she was overcome with tears of joy.
“Seeing him out there with drumsticks in his hand was incredible,” she said.
During performances, Isaac bangs on a drum pad, which is muted. Aidan plays the marimba drum.
Carissa posted video of the performance to a special needs children’s group on Facebook.
“A few of them asked me to make the video public to share it,” she said. “About five or six hours later it had thousands of shares and last time I checked it has over a million views.”
The story has since been picked up by Upworthy and even CTV, a Canadian English language television station.
Bonacci said Aidan, 15, and Isaac, 15, have an incredible bond. She said Isaac was adopted from Colombia when he was 3 years old and the boys have been inseparable since.
“At the time we were not aware of his capabilities when we brought him home. This is something that all unfolded as he transitioned into life here when he was 3,” Bonacci said. “Isaac is happy and silly and he’s got a great sense of humor. He likes feeling helpful and included and he looks up to Aidan. Anything Aidan does he wants to do. Isaac gets along with all his siblings. He’s an allaround great kid.”
Aidan said he wanted to share his love for band with Isaac and loves seeing him just be a regular kid like the rest of his peers.
“He personally enjoys it, and being with people who accept him and are happy with him makes it special for him,” Aidan said of his brother. “I thought it was amazing how he was able to do that with me. It’s something I never thought I would do with him, so it was really awesome.”
Shawn Silva, director of bands at Oñate High School, said it’s bizarre that the video is getting so much attention because the band directors think of Isaac as just a regular student.
“To me, it’s just Aidan and Isaac, like any other kid in the band,” Silva said.