Making people happy.

"I can still remember seeing some things," Matthew tells his friends. "I remember snow. I remember my mother's face - it was beautiful."

Some of the most famous singers in the world have performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Last April, Matthew Vollbrecht, a ten-year-old boy from Everett, Pennsylvania, stepped onto this famous stage in front of hundreds of kids and adults. He took a deep breath. Then he be an to sin .

"I like to sing because it makes people happy," Matthew says.

Matthew's singing makes a lot of people happy. He performed more than 100 concerts last year. He sang on TV and with a symphony orchestra. He even sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game.

His talent and hard work have earned this ten-year-old more music awards than many musicians receive in a lifetime.

Finding His Talent

Matthew is one of only two kids in the United States to receive the 1994 Panasonic Young Soloists Award. The $5,000 scholarship is given to young musicians who have both great talent and a disability. Matthew is blind. A rare disease took his sight when he was three years old.

"I can still remember seeing some things," Matthew tells his friends. "I remember snow. I remember my mother's face - it was beautiful."

Matthew's mother is a music teacher. She plays the piano in their home. When Matthew was younger, he liked listening to the music. He wanted to learn to play, too.

"Since I couldn't see, I had to play by sound only," Matthew explains. That's how I discovered that I had a natural talent for music. I found out that I could play a song just by listening to it.

"Then I started singing one day," Matthew recalls. "I loved it!"

Matthew plans to continue singing when he grows up. He knows there are many jobs he won't be able to do. But he can always entertain people. So he practices many hours each day.

"Just Like Any Other Boy"

Matthew goes to a regular school. He does his schoolwork on a special computer that writes in Braille. Braille uses raised dots to represent letters. Matthew feels these dots with his fingers. His pointer finger is very smooth from reading so much!

The other kids at his school like to feel the Braille dots. When Matthew throws a piece of paper in the wastebasket, they dig it out and try to read it. They also help Matthew around the school playground.

Matthew can't play sports like soccer or football. But he has earned his yellow belt in judo. He also likes to play with his dog, Sammi, and his best friend, Megan. Megan swings with Matthew in the backyard. She also holds his hand while they run down hills together. Matthew likes to feel wind in his face.

"I can't see, but I think and have feelings just like any other boy," Matthew explains. And the feeling he likes best is the joy he feels when he is singing - and making people happy.