Video published by Daniel’s Music Foundation here on YouTube (link is external)
Smile-o-meter Friday:
Episode 4 – Featuring Sparsh Shah (Friday, December 4, 2020)
[Upbeat Music – Smile-o-meter Friday Theme Song]
[Image of show’s logo in white text “Smile-o-meter Friday With Daniel & Ken” on a bright blue background with translucent white circles.]
[Image – Caricatures on a white background of Daniel in glasses wearing a white polo T-shirt waving his left hand, with the word “Daniel” above his head on the left side of the screen; and, Ken wearing a dark color suit jacket over a collared shirt and sweater, waving his right hand with the word “Ken” above his head on the right side of the screen. The picture of a bright yellow sun with a smiley face slides down from the top of the screen.]
[Voiceover:] Hosted by an unlikely duo, who are just trying to bring a little sunshine into the world.
[Image – Father and son duo, Ken and Daniel, seated in the “Studio” in front of piano against a cheery yellow wall, with a square Smile-o-meter Friday logo on the wall between them. Ken is on the right side of the screen, wearing a white turtleneck under a black long-sleeved T-shirt with an illustration of a male musician playing a guitar. Daniel is on the left, wearing glasses, and a white polo T-shirt under a black long-sleeved T-shirt with a illustration of a different male musician playing a guitar, with the words “LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER” under the image.]
[Ken:] (Humming) “Duh, dah, duh….. (repeated several times) You know D., I love that song. I could sing it all day long!
[Dreamy harp music plays in the background]
[Image – Illustration of Daniel deep in thought with his right hand over his chin, and a thought bubble above his head with the word “HMMM…” in it.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Hmmm. What song is he singing? Is it the theme from Star Wars or Smile-o-meter Friday? I’m having a hard time figuring this one out.
[Image – Illustration of Ken wielding a light saber]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] Nice effort, Dad.
[Ken:] Thanks, D, and…
[Daniel and Ken:] Welcome to Smile-o-meter Friday!
[Image – Smile-o-meter Friday logo]
[Ken:] You may be wondering why we’re wearing these cool T-shirts of two of the most iconic and talented musicians ever!
[Daniel:] Jon Bon Jovi… (Singing) Oh, oh, livin’ on a prayer…
[Ken:] …and The Boss, Bruce Springsteen.
[Image – Photos of Jon Bon Jovi on the left side of the screen, and Bruce Springsteen on the right side of the screen]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] We’re staying local this week and going across the bridge to their home state of New Jersey.
[Image – Zoom in to map of New Jersey]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] And today, we’re highlighting Sparsh Shah from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, who is a 17-year old child prodigy, singer, songwriter, rapper, and inspirational speaker.
[Photo montage of Sparsh: (1) Sparsh is wearing glasses, a plaid tie and grey vest with a polka-dot shirt, large headphones over his ears, and he is seated in front of 2 microphones in his Recording Studio filled with trophies and plaques, giving a thumbs-up sign with his left hand; (2) Sparsh singing, holding a microphone in his left hand; (3) Sparsh in his wheelchair, speaking on stage, with the words “WORLD’S GREATEST MOTIVATORS” in white letters with a blue curtain in the background.]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] His life journey started with over 40 fractures at birth, and the doctors gave him only two days to live. He has had over 140 fractures, 8 rods, 19 screws, and has never walked a day in his life.
[Photo montage: (1) Sparsh speaking on stage holding a mic in his left hand, with the words “Little BIG SHOTS” in sparkly gold letters on a red curtain and numerous flower-shaped lights behind him; (2) Photo of Sparsh on a billboard in New York City’s Times Square with 2 “WORLD’S GREATEST MOTIVATORS” banners.]
[Ken:] But that has never stopped him from following his passion for music and making the world a better place.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] And a little-known fact about Sparsh: He recently scored 1580 out of 1600 on his SAT test!
[Image – Photo of Sparsh in a recording studio giving a thumbs-up with his right hand]
[Ken:] Simply amazing!
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] I can’t wait to see him later in the episode, as he is super talented, and was one of our 2020 Danny Award recipients.
[Image – Photo of a smiling Sparsh holding up a large crystal trophy on the stage at the 2020 Danny Awards at Symphony Space in New York City]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] But now, it’s time for our first segment:
[Image – The words “Did You Know?” large black letters on a white background slide down from the top of the screen. Illustrations of both Daniel and Ken deep in thought appear. They share the same thought bubble above their heads that includes a “thinking” emoji (a round yellow face with its right hand resting by the chin, with its thumb and pointer finger extended).]
[Daniel and Ken:] Did You Know?
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] Did you know that the first official baseball game was played in Hoboken, New Jersey, in June 1846?
[Image – Photo of historical plaque that reads as follow:
H.I.B.A.
BASEBALL
On June 19, 1846 the first
match game of baseball was
played here on the Elysian
Fields between the Knicker-
bockers and the New Yorks.
It is generally conceded that
until this time the game was
not seriously regarded.]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] And that the street names in the Monopoly board game are named after actual streets in Atlantic City?
[Image – Zoom in to map of Atlantic City streets]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] And, did you know that New Jersey has a rich history of musical talent like…
[Photo on montage of Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Queen Latifah, Gloria Gaynor, Kool and the Gang]
[Daniel:] Old Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra, Whitney Houston, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Queen Latifah, Gloria Gaynor and Kool and the Gang.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] Getting back to Bruce Springsteen, though. Hey D., did you know I saw him in concert when I was at UConn on April 27, 1974…
[Image – Black & white photo of a young Bruce Springsteen performing at a concert]
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Ken:] …when he was just starting out?
[Dreamy harp music plays in the background]
[Image – Illustration of Daniel deep in thought with his right hand over his chin, and a thought bubble above his head with the word “HMMM…” in it.]
[Daniel:] (Thinking to himself) Hmmm… That was almost 50 years ago, and he still remembers the exact date?!
[Images – Illustrations of Ken rocking out with an air guitar in front of a large “Rock On” hand sign, and crowd surfing at a concert.]
[Daniel:] Wow, I hope I have memories like that when I’m as old as he is.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] And now it’s time for our main segment:
[Daniel and Ken:] Adventures with Daniel and Ken
[Image – The words “Adventures with Daniel & Ken” in black type on the top left corner of a white background slides up from the bottom of the screen, Illustrations of Daniel on the right, smiling and sitting with him arms outstretched in the folds of a paper airplane, flying over a green and blue globe of the world below him. Ken is sitting in another paper airplane below the globe on the left.]
[Image – Daniel and Ken sitting on a black leather couch in the “Interview Studio” (the small office in their apt) with 3 separate panels of artwork on the wall behind them.]
[Ken:] And now that we’re settled in our “Interview Studio” (both Daniel and Ken doing air quote gestures with their hands), we’re excited and honored to introduce you to the multi-talented Sparsh Shah!
[Daniel:] Hi Sparsh, good to see you again. We’re so happy you are able to join us today.
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio, looking dapper in his blue vest, burgundy tie and checkered button-down shirt]
[Sparsh:] (Waving right hand) Hello, Daniel. (Waving right hand) Hello, Mr. Trush. (Both palms together as a gesture of thanks) Thank you so much for having me here on Smile-o-meter Friday. I'm so glad to be here.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] Hey, Sparsh. So glad you’re on the show with us today, and thank you for agreeing to perform one of your new original songs. We’re excited to share it.
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] Here it is, my debut single: ‘There's Always Tomorrow’
[Sparsh:] (Singing and gesturing with his hands along with the lyrics while performing the song)
[Lyrics]
Have you ever felt alone, or maybe not at home
Did you want to give up, 'cause maybe it was too much
Well you might not have wings, but you can still fly and you can sing
Because who you are doesn't matter 'cause you're a superstar
There's always tomorrow, no need for the sorrow
We will make it if we can come back from where we began
If you can believe it, you can achieve it
Life’s a mountain, with steep and bumpy edges
Oooh…
When you have to push yourself all the way to the peak of the ledges
Well you might not have wings, but you can still fly and you can sing
Because who you are doesn't matter 'cause you're a superstar
There's always tomorrow, no need for the sorrow
We will make it if we can come back from where we began
If you can believe it, you can achieve it
So don’t ever believe that what you have will go in vain
You can still follow your dreams
No matter how much the pain
There's always tomorrow, no need for the sorrow
We will make it if we can come back from where we began
If you can believe it, you can achieve it
Yeah, yeah…
[Sparsh:] (Bows his head with palms together in thanks)
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] That was awesome, Sparsh. I love the lyrics and message.
[Ken:] (Looking at Daniel) I agree, Daniel. That was amazing! And thank you in advance, Sparsh, for agreeing to answer some of our questions. Our first question is: Who are the greatest influencers in your life, and who do you look up to musically?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] The greatest influencers of my life are my family, my teachers, and God. My family has influenced me greatly because they taught me my values and motivated me from the very beginning, to pursue my passion and achieve my dreams. My teachers have influenced me by educating me about the world, but also by encouraging me in the work that I do and by believing in me. Finally, God gave me my purpose. He showed me that I came here to prove to the world that nothing is impossible. And really, if there's any light people see in me… it's not me; it's God working through me to leave this world a better place than I found it.
[Sparsh:] Musically, I'm influenced by all genres, but I especially look up to Indian classical musicians for their musical mastery; hip hop artists for their lyrical mastery; and gospel artists for their mastery of purpose and messaging in their songs.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] Wow, Sparsh, that was beautiful! Do you remember when you first realized that you wanted to pursue music seriously?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] I think there was more than one moment for me that made me realize that music was to be my career. The first was when I wrote my first song, ‘This Love Will Never Fade,’ at the age of 10, and that made me realize why people write songs in the first place — to tell stories that aren't told, in ways that other people can't.
[Sparsh:] The second moment was when I was asked in my summer school many years ago to write about what I hope to accomplish in my dream career. And before then, I'd always wanted to be a paleontologist. But, that day, I realized that I could also be a musician. And, later I realized that I could impact so many more lives as a musician than as a paleontologist, because music is eternal, and it's a universal language.
[Sparsh:] My third moment was when I wrote a song called ‘There's Always Tomorrow.’ That made me realize that the purpose of music is more than just to tell a story. It also has the power to inspire and lift people’s spirits. And, that's when I knew that this is what I want to do in life: Inspire people, and that I would be able to accomplish this mission through music.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] Sparsh, you are certainly accomplishing your goals, and are truly an inspiration.
[Ken:] As a follow-up: You often speak about your views and approach to life. Can you briefly elaborate on that?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] Sure. I think the biggest part of my approach to life is that there is no such word as “impossible.” And the way I put it, all you have to do is put an apostrophe and a space and “impossible” can become “I’m possible.” And, as I've explained in my TED Talk there are four main steps to doing this in life.
[Sparsh:] The first step is to find your passion. The gift that God gave you to impact this world uniquely.
[Sparsh:] Second: Never hold yourself back. Forget the stereotypes, and don't worry about the nay-sayers. Just follow through on your mission and put in the work to manifest your vision, because there's no other way that you can be successful.
[Sparsh:] Third: Help others. Because what's the point of making a name or money for yourself if you can't or won't positively impact other people with it.
[Sparsh:] And, finally: Dream big. Because without that, we’ll never be able to leave a legacy behind that others will remember, and hopefully emulate in the future.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] You are a wise young man, Sparsh.
[Daniel:] Can you tell us something about yourself that only a select group of people know?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] One thing that only a select group of people know about me is that when I was younger, I used to draw a lot. Most of my drawings were reference drawings of animals or video game characters, like Pokémon, and I actually still have most of them with me today in a little portfolio that I've collected over the years.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] Pokémon?! Everyone likes Pokémon! You’ll have to show us sometime.
[Ken:] This question is more on the serious side: What is the one thing that people say or do that you wish they would stop doing?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] The one thing I believe people really need to stop doing is telling themselves: “I can't.” I think that's the number one reason why we have regrets in life. Because we tell ourselves that we can't achieve our dreams when really, it's, it's just our minds that’s limiting us. If people can tell themselves “I can,” I think not only that nothing will be impossible for them, but also nothing that anyone else says to try to stop them will stop them. I mean, for me, every time I've told myself “I can't” I haven't been able to do it. But when I tell myself “I can,” nothing that anybody has ever said can stop me from fulfilling my dreams.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Daniel:] What are some of your future dreams, Sparsh?
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] Most immediately, my next big dream is to release my debut original album, so all my own songs, by the time I turn 18 or at least by the end of 2021. Once I release that, I want to go around the world and give concerts of my own songs so that I can inspire people with my music and my message at the most intimate levels possible. And who knows? Maybe I'll win a few Grammy or Danny Awards along the way.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] That was beautiful, Sparsh. With your drive, we are confident that you will achieve all of your goals and dreams. Also, we really loved the way you connected The Danny Awards right up there with the Grammys — as you know, we dream big, too!
[Daniel:] Sparsh, it was great spending some time with you today. Thank you for sharing your musical talent and wisdom with us.
[Image – Sparsh in his Recording Studio]
[Sparsh:] Thank you so much, Daniel and Mr. Trush, for having me here. I hope I was able to make you all smile this Friday.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the “Interview Studio”]
[Ken:] We thank you, Sparsh…
[Daniel and Ken:] …from the bottom of our hearts!
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the Studio]
[Daniel:] Wow! That was great speaking with Sparsh. But, you know what? It’s time for our final segment:
[Daniel and Ken:] Food For Thought
[Image – The words “Food For Thought” on a white background slide up from the bottom of the screen. Illustrations of Daniel winking, with his face peering through the middle of a bright yellow pineapple, and Ken holding up a big slice of watermelon with a smiley face on it.)
[Ken:] A thought-provoking quote or sentiment for you to reflect on.
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Ken:] As an add-on to Sparsh’s insights and sagely wisdom, we’d like to leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein:
[Image – White letters slide in from the left and right sides on blue screens to form the quote]
[Daniel:] " Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
[Image – Daniel and Ken in the studio]
[Ken:] we hope you enjoyed this episode of Smile-o-meter Friday as much as we did. And…
[Daniel and Ken:] (Pointing their fingers towards the camera with big smiles on their faces) See you next time!
[Music – Smile-o-meter Friday theme song]
[Image of show’s title “Smile-o-meter Friday With Daniel & Ken” on a bright blue background.]
[A final slide includes white words on a black background:
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
TO LEARN MORE VISIT DANIELSMUSIC.ORG]