Playing by "Ear"

On a final note about the sessions, I would like to share the following story. Before passing out the harmonicas to further engage their interest, I told the kids that I was the only person in the world who could play the harmonica out of his ear. I explained that I must hold my nose tightly with my left hand to get pressure needed to blow out of my ear. Hidden in the palm of my left hand was a tiny harmonica. With my right hand, I held a regular harmonica against my ear. With much theatrical effort, I convincingly produced a note that indeed seemed to come out of my ear. I then slipped the tiny harmonica into my mouth and showed them that I had nothing in my hands.

Kids normally react with suspicious giggling and enthusiasm trying to figure out how I did it. In the end, I always share the magic by exposing the tiny harmonica in my mouth and playing a tune on it. Since their lessons are about to begin, I never want to lose their trust as a teacher. Moreover, I don't want them to blow out their eardrums trying to pull it off!

An interesting thing happened in Indonesia. Each time, when I do this illusion in my sessions, I first ask "who believes that I can play a harmonica out of my ear?" The kids almost always respond with great skepticism and amusement. Almost never does a hand go up. However, without exception when I asked the kids who had survived the disasters of Nias and Aceh, they all raised their hands believing that I could do this. Nobody doubted me. One boy, in fact, excitedly yelled out "I believe! I believe!" as if responding to an evangelical sermon. Even after I shared my secret, there were kids holding their harmonicas to their ears to try it. Not only did this blow the punch line of the illusion, it baffled me. As I turned to Mr. Bayu, I asked, "How could they believe such an impossible thing?" Bayu replied, "Gary, these kids believe in you. You showed up from far away to entertain them and gave them harmonicas. No one has ever done such a thing. The very fact that they have survived and are here today is a miracle! These are kids who are ready to believe in miracles." >More