Sisters in tune with music, life

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With seven of their classmates, the girls performed a fusion of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and One Republic’s “Secrets.” The performance was the girls’ first concert together, the first of many now that Aashini will join Binita in high school in September, where, Aashini joked, “I will get to embarrass [Binita] all day!”

The girls are no strangers to the stage, performing in their school’s orchestra every year since fourth grade.

Samir Shah, the girls’ father, fostered their love of music. “I like music from my childhood,” he said. “I always wanted my kids to do something I was not able to do.”

Although he never had a private music teacher, Samir explained, he sang and played keyboard throughout high school and college. “He taught himself,” the girls shared.

“Do you girls sing?” I asked when interviewing them inside a Dunkin’ Donuts on Carman Ave. in Salisbury. I was met with a unified and resounding “No!”

Instead, Binita and Aashini were able to explore a variety of instruments offered at their elementary school. “The girls got to try all the instruments,” Samir said. “When they chose violin, I told them, ‘Make sure you don’t quit right in the middle of it.’ It was their decision to continue.”

“I fell in love with the violin very quickly,” said Binita, who got her start in the East Meadow Summer Music Program.

“I didn’t want to play violin at first,” Aashini admitted. “I wanted to play the flute,” But since Binita had already been playing, Aashini figured that she’d have an in-home resource to help her practice. “It was something [Binita] could help me with,” she said. “Now I like the violin a lot.”

Beyond their musical commitments, the girls conduct lab research at Molloy College. Jigna Shah, their mother, said she encouraged the girls’ involvement in science. “My goal is to get them where they want to be,” said Jigna. “I work around them.”

Samir and Jigna are both from Bombay, and married there in 1992. They moved to the United States in 1994 and have lived in Salisbury for 14 years.

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