(bright piano music) - Who you are as a human is what will come out in your music.

(soft piano music) My name's Justin Kauflin.

I'm a pianist and composer.

I like music a lot.

(soft piano music) Music was a thing that I gravitated to from an early age.

Piano and violin.

(soft piano music) Piano became this place that I just found myself without thinking about it.

You know, after I was done with school, I would spend hours practicing.

(bright piano music) I think becoming blind was very much a catalyst for me to discover how much more important music, you know, is in my life.

I auditioned to get into a Magnet program in high school, the Governor School for the Performing Arts.

They wisely saw that maybe being in the classical program would be a bit challenging with the sight reading requirements, so they dropped me into the jazz program.

I didn't really know anything about it, but very quickly fell in love with how I didn't feel limited because of my lack of sight.

I was able to learn everything by ear.

That's kind of a part of the jazz tradition.

(soft piano music) (bright jazz music) The whole experience playing with Jay and Terry has been incredible.

I've learned so much about playing with passion, playing with that kind of energy from Jay and Terry.

The kind of intensity that they play with has really, I think, elevated my whole approach to playing this music.

You know, I used to be petrified playing with Jay when he first had me come on.

But every time the music, we would start playing the music, it would really settle in, you know, they would make me feel comfortable and help me to reach new levels in my own playing and just the kind of support I get from them has been unbelievable.

(bright jazz music) I'm now teaching at my alma mater.

And people say that, you know, you really should get into teaching, and I was very hesitant.

I didn't feel prepared.

I didn't feel like I was in the right place and for whatever reason, getting to spend time with the students at the Governor School has allowed me to realize that I do have things that I can share.

Just to be able to go back to the place that really started so much for me.

And then to contribute and help the kids work through things that I dealt with at that age.

I've been very blessed to have a connection with Clark Terry, with Mulgrew Miller, with Quincy Jones.

That's something that I realized is a responsibility for me to share what I've learned from these remarkable individuals.

It's a part of this continuum For me the thing is that draws me to it is more of the sharing nature of it and hopefully finding resonance with other people.

I think that's the main goal.

It's exciting to think about this whole topic in terms of community.

It seems like we need that more.

We don't have to understand each other in so many ways, right?

You can be on the other side of any spectrum, political or anything, but like, when you can find these things that pull people in like that, where it becomes contagious, it's like, wow, something special happened.

(drums playing) (crowd cheering) (bright music)