Disabilities Didn’t Stop This Artist

An Argentinian musician with Down syndrome is helping pave the way for people with disabilities worldwide to express their voice through music, focusing more on their talent and less on their limitations.

“Thanks to Miguel, many people who had never interacted with a person with Down syndrome were able to become aware of their world through music,” explains Patricio Conlazo, an occasional member of Tomasín’s band Reynols who went on starting music projects for people with disabilities in southern Argentina.

The multi-instrumentist Miguel Tomasín, 58, started his career in 1993 when he enrolled in Buenos Aires’ School for the Comprehensive Formation of Musicians run by young avant-garde musicians. He joined their band Reynols, and together, they produced about 120 albums over three decades, did American and European tours, collaborated with well-respected experimental musicians, and held music workshops for people with disabilities. Tomasín’s successful career proves how art can help people overcome social barriers and change the perception of those with disabilities in Argentina and elsewhere as other musicians have started bands for disabled people in France and Norway. “Miguel teaches without a teaching, by simply enjoying his life.”