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'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.

"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."

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