'We can't speak': Barenaked Ladies band member on connecting to daughter through music
As a long-time member of the iconic Canadian band, The Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn has played before large audiences all around the world, but his most cherished performances are before an audience of one in a Toronto area group home. That’s where his daughter Havana lives. At nearly every visit, he plays her favourite song, Streams of Lemonade, a take-off on Streams of Whisky by the legendary Irish band The Pogues.
- Is the full episode above failing to play? You can watch it here
"Music in general to me - in regards to Havana - it's just the way we connect. We can't speak. We can't really have a conversation with words, but we can have a really deep and rich, rewarding conversation with music," said Hearn.
Havana, now 20, was born with a brain malformation called lissencephaly. She’s non-verbal, has limited mobility and endures seizures.
"When we first heard of her diagnosis, after spending a few weeks at the Hospital for Sick Kids, we were distraught," remembers Hearn. "And I went back to the hospital the next day and asked if I could speak to the nurses and the doctors. And I said, 'We don't know what to do. We're in a state of shock. And they said, ‘She's your daughter. All you have to do is love her.' And that was the best advice. And so my mission has always just been to give her the best life she possibly can have and facilitate her happiness."
A vital part of facilitating Havana’s happiness was finding somewhere for her to attend school when she was ready for kindergarten.
"We heard about Beverley School and made an appointment and went in there and it was like you could hear a choir singing. It was like, this is where we belong. This is a place for Havana," said Hearn.
For decades, Toronto’s Beverley School has been catering to young children with exceptionalities. All of the students from kindergarten to Grade 8 have developmental disabilities and many have both physical limitations and complicated medical conditions.
"We are here to provide opportunities and resources to every child,” said Beverley School principal Danjela Malobabic. “It's a place where we have technology readily available that other classes, other schools would not have because there is a level of understanding of what the students need."
By catering the entire learning environment to children with disabilities, the educators at Beverley believe they are able to tap into every student’s potential. Hearn feels it was the perfect place for Havana.
"It's a place where she grew up and she learned,” said Hearn. “Every day they would do activities and try to teach her about the world and nature and everything you could hope for your child. I'm ever grateful for the part that school played in our lives."
As a way of expressing that gratitude, Hearn performs in an annual fundraising concert for the families of Beverley School called Dream Serenade. Aside from Kevin, Dream Serenade has included a wide array of high profile artists including Gord Downie, Serena Ryder, Jim Cuddy from Blue Rodeo, Tom Cochrane, Feist and Matt Berninger from the National. The shows have raised more than $400,000 over the years. That money has gone towards everything from respite care for the parents of Beverley School students, to playground equipment.
"Dream Serenade is a wonderful thing,” said Hearn. ”I'm just honoured to be a part of it every year."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
Local Spotlight
DonAir force takes over at Oilers playoff games
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”