Oscars + Aaron = "Happy"

"Happy" I don't think there was ever a more appropriately named song....

I have been trying to get Aaron to connect to music or any song for a while now. He will "dance" (bounce up and down, it's pretty cute) for about 30 seconds intermittently to the theme song of his favorite cartoon(s) but that's about it.  I don't often listen to a lot of music...I love music but it makes me too emotional...all music and almost all of the time. So basically I just avoid it unless I'm in the car for a long time but even then it's my own specific playlist or I usually just listen to movies or TV shows. I have been trying to put on more music lately though for Aaron since I read some stories about autistic kids that have had some pretty amazing reactions to music or specific songs. I didn't have any particular expectations but I learned something about the brain that was interesting so I figured it couldn't hurt to try.
I recently learned that the ability to voice words through regular speech and words through song come from different parts of the brain. It's why some people with significant speech impediments can sing without a problem, even speech disorders such as Apraxia which is what Aaron is believed to have. Some non-verbal autistic children have been known to just break out in song...there was a story recently about a non-verbal boy with autism who just started singing Katy Perry's "Roar" to the extreme delight of his parents...I believe the YouTube video of that went viral.
Aaron has not liked any music to this point but I have still been exposing it to him seeing if he will take an interest. Generally if I talk to him about something being for him or try to show him something, the less he wants to do with it, so when I put on music I just usually silently observe from the sidelines and see if he shows an interest.
This whole time he couldn't have cared less until he heard/saw Pharrell Williams perform "Happy" on The Oscars. I watched it by myself last night after the kids were in bed. This morning I finished watching the show, I was about to delete it, and then I remembered hearing part of that song on a commercial I had seen recently and that Aaron had glanced at the TV and had obviously taken notice while it was on...I remembered at the time making a mental note that he might like that song and that I should download it. Plus I like it...it's a really good song.
I decided to play it one time before I deleted The Oscars off the DVR and see what happened. Aaron went bananas (Despicable Me pun intended) ... He was in my bedroom when I pushed play, he came flying out and stared at the TV with a huge smile for the first few seconds, then he started running laps around the living room and laughing hysterically. I had to turn the volume up because we couldn't even hear it any more. Every time it ended he signed "more please" and wanted to see it again and again. My DVR is forever going to have 3 1/2 hours taken up for this 3 minute performance because while Aaron did not sing anything he has made me replay that performance no less than 30 times...and that is just today!!!! I will never be allowed to delete that recording. If I ever do have to delete it, I at least have the song downloaded now and I believe I can probably find that performance on YouTube. I am hoping that the E! Network will play an encore of The Oscars so I can just record that performance and free up the space from the rest of the program. I think I may try some more of Pharrell Williams' songs because I bet Aaron will like them. I think I will too!
So I will wholeheartedly agree with what one of my sisters said on Facebook last night...best Oscars ever!