Young man in search of forever family hopes to tell stories with beats

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - In today’s Finding Forever, our series aiming to connect kids eligible for adoption with families looking to adopt, we meet a young man with music beats on the mind. His name is Shawn and he’s 13 years old. Shawn is a little quiet when you first meet him but get him talking about something he loves like music, and he will open up.

“Song can also tell things you can get off your chest; there’s a lot of things you can do with music,” he said.

This young man said music is a great outlet for him. It can relieve stress and really open the door to creativity. So, what better spot to visit than Mind’s Eye Digital Recording Studio in Glendale. Sound engineer Larry Elyea runs the place and has recorded songs with rap greats like Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and more.

“Just clap it, whatever you have in your head,” he said to Shawn as the two sat in front of a large computer screen filled with a digital library of beats.

Aside from music, Shawn likes hanging outside at the skatepark and drawing. He is a good student and said structure is good at home, but his last foster family was a bit too strict. He would do well in a small family with siblings and dogs.

“Of course, I want there to be rules and stuff like that, but I don’t want it to be strict like that,” Shawn said recalling his last family.

Shawn said he could see a future in music when he gets older, a way for him to create and write his own story to a beat.

“Songs are basically like telling stories,” he said. “Music is just stories or something that came from your mind.”

To find out how you might become a forever family with Shawn or other Arizona waiting children, contact Aid to Adoption of Special Kids at 602-930-4900 or by emailing info@aask-az.org. You can also visit the Children’s Heart Gallery.

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