'Born performer' shines in music.

Byline: FACES AND PLACES by The Register-Guard

Name: Joel Chapman

Age: 12

Grade: 6

School: Cal Young Middle School

Background: He's lived in Eugene his whole life, and moved to his current home near Cal Young when he was 2.

Family: Father, Peter Chapman, a photographer and customer service representative at Lane Forest Products; mother, Cheryl Kurchin Chapman, an occupational therapist with EC Cares; sister, Kyla, 15.

Best subjects: Joel likes all his classes, but math and science are particular favorites.

Grades: A's and A-pluses.

Challenges: Joel was born with arthrogryposis, a muscle disorder that causes multiple joint contractures, or limitations in the range of motion of a joint. The condition affects his hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, feet and knees, making some activities difficult or impossible. He's able to walk short distances, but often uses a motorized wheelchair to get around.

He's had at least a half-dozen surgeries, most of them before the age of 6. Last August, foot surgery - ultimately unsuccessful - kept him off his feet for six weeks and caused him to miss some school days. While it was discouraging, it gave him ample time to practice piano.

Joel says he's frustrated by his disability sometimes, but refuses to let it keep him from doing things. "I just kind of go," he says.

Talents: Joel is extremely musical. He plays drums and classical piano, and recently auditioned to be in the Cal Young jazz band next year. He started playing piano at the age of 5 and has taken lessons off and on since. He practices at least a half-hour most days, more in summers.

Joel also sings alto in the prestigious Oregon Boychoir, and is a frequent soloist and leader. "He can look at a piece of music and pretty much know what's going on with it," says choir director David Fitch, who calls Joel "one in a million." The boy, he adds, is a born performer, with a terrific voice and a fearless stage presence.

"You can just feel the joy of music coming through in him," Fitch says.

Favorite music to play: Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's "Solfeggietto."

Why he loves music: "It's something I can succeed at," he says. "It's something I can do instead of sports."

Homework: He spends about an hour a day on it, sometimes more. While he gets excellent grades, his mother says school is not easy for Joel because of the mechanical demands of completing assignments. He's tried to use a voice-activated computer, but it hasn't worked very well.

Pastimes: He loves computers and chess, although he doesn't play often because nobody else in the family enjoys it much. He's played baseball in the past, and is an ardent Mariners fan.

Favorite movie: "October Sky"

Favorite reading: Science fiction and fantasy. Lois Lowry is one of his favorite authors.

Favorite television shows: "American Idol," "Friends," "Will and Grace" and "Scrubs."

Favorite music: "I basically like everything," he says. "Rock and classical and jazz and pop."

Favorite food: Korean and Thai food.

Favorite teacher: June Hopkins, who taught second and third grade when he attended Willagillespie Elementary. "She let us call her by her first name, and we always did fun activities in her class," he says.

Heroes: Ichiro of the Mariners.

Career aspirations: "Lately I've been thinking about being an architect," says Joel, who likes art and math.

Summer plans: A family road trip to visit relatives in the Bay Area and Southern California.

- Anne Williams

CAPTION(S):

Piano is the passion of Cal Young sixth-grader Joel Chapman, who plays Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi despite the rare muscle disorder that affects his joints.