need to add title here

Catching Up With Rex

March 3, 2009 8:10 AM

Lesley Stahl catches up with Rex Lewis-Clack, a musical savant born blind and mentally impaired who, at 13 years old now, is making remarkable strides despite doctors' predictions.

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by saboro November 24, 2008 6:57 PM EST
I was surprised to see Rachel in your piece on Rex. I know Rachel. She is a magnificent musician, and composer. Her story is as intriguing as Rex''s. She has blindness of prematurity. Her parents, both musicians, discovered her gift for music when she was 3. She sat on the piano bench and played lines from Mozart and Beethoven. However, she did not talk. Her parents contacted Grant Horrocks at the Southern California Conservatory of Music. After Rachel had one lesson from Grant, she started talking. Her school called Rachel''s mother and asked, "What happened to Rachel?". As Rachel worked with Grant, she learned to read music in Braille.
Rachel has learned the basics that allow her to be a professional musician. And she is extremely talented. She plays classical and jazz. She improvises. She can change keys on a suggestion and transpose a piece of music.
This summer, Rachel played with Herbie Hancock during the Thelonius Monk Foundation''s celebratory weekend. She is at a high level.
The story of Rachel and Grant emphasizes the fact that talent needs a good teacher to guide it. I hope to see more about her in the future
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by guitargirl58 November 24, 2008 3:32 PM EST
To learn more about Rachel Flowers, visit her myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/rachelflowersmusic
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by blubalt102 November 24, 2008 11:33 AM EST
What a great story! I would love to here more about Rachel Flowers and her music; from what I heard, she is very talented. My best to Rex and his wonderful, strong mother.
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by guitargirl58 November 24, 2008 8:57 AM EST
Rex really is a special kid, and his story is a testament to the curative powers of love and music.
However, I must take issue with two aspects of the story that ran tonight.
Rex''s inability to connect emotionally to music is an aspect of his autistic tendencies, not a by-product of his blindness. So I had to wonder why Leslie Stahl suggested otherwise in making the statement that, "it''s a problem shared by many of David''s students," before going on to use Rachel (my daughter) as an example.
David Pinto has worked with Rachel off and on since she was 5 years old and I would be hard pressed to find a more caring, selfless person. But I must beg to differ when he makes the case that Rachel''s difficulties in connecting her music to verbal expression point to an inability to "feel" her music. Kids like Rachel experience music on a deeper, more intuitive level. Whether she can put those feelings into words is another thing altogether. As with Rex, music was Rachel''s first language. That is where her deepest level of understanding lies. Verbal and textual expression simply have not yet caught up.
jeanie flowers - Rachel''s mom
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by evabyrne November 24, 2008 3:39 AM EST
thank you 60 minutes for showing Rex and his also amazing mother Cathi, unbelievable people! we have the pleasure of knowing both of them through my granddaughter Kristina who is one of Rex''s classmates at school.
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by evabyrne November 24, 2008 3:38 AM EST
thank you 60 minutes for showing Rex and his also amazing mother Cathi, unbelievable people! we have the pleasure of knowing both of them through my granddaughter Kristina who is one of Rex''s classmates at school.
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by usmctanker13 November 24, 2008 2:16 AM EST
Lesley Stahl''s coverage of the amazing young man, Rex Lewis-Clack was truely a moving piece. The love and admiration Ms. Stahl showed towards Rex was very evident and moving.Thank you 60 minuets for an outstanding program.
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by bettypitman1 November 24, 2008 1:37 AM EST
Ms. Stahi, This is a great story. Rex is a wonderful example to the disadvantaged. Having three silbings who are disadvantaged I can appreceate the wonderful story of Rex. Thank you for this story.
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by kathleen1232 November 24, 2008 1:16 AM EST
this story moved me! i had a neice that has downs syndrome, and she was so smart. i knew these kids, even though they couldn''t connect with us on our level, they have genius inside of them. i am a piano player, started taking lessons at a very young age and want to know how i can help. i would love to be able to work with these kids so much. rex and rachael are a true inspiration to us all!!
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by jonk76 November 24, 2008 12:20 AM EST
Dear Ms. Stahl,
I have been a fan of 60 Minutes for years but tonight''s segment on Rex really caught my attention. As it happens, I discovered Rachel Flowers'' music a little over a year ago on WWW.SOUNDCLICK.COM/RACHEL FLOWERS and immediately fell in love with her talent. I tracked her and her mother down and we''ve become friends. I was very pleased when I heard she would also be on this segment. Rex is obviously an amazing talent as well as Rachel. Thanks for presenting such a positive story. The world needs to be very aware of both of these young people to remind us that there is much beauty in the world to offset some of the tragedies. Please do more of this kind of segment. By the way, I certainly would like the world to see more of Rachel. :-)
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by ivettea-2009 November 23, 2008 11:55 PM EST
This is one of the most wonderful story I ever saw. Leslie you must have felt such warmth and joy to see Rex evolve into the young man he is today. I could feeel the joy from you through the TV. I am so proud that 60 minutes puts on stories about good things happening in this world instead of such much bad in the world. I sat there and had a msile on my face through the whole story. Thank you so much for warming my heart during a time in my life when I really needed it. God bless you Leslie.
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