Am I the same listener who hears a severely developmentally challenged student the morning after hearing Anderszewski perform magnificently?

Most definitely! Anderszewski causes me to listen with him, not to him. The same is true for my needy student--indeed, for all my students. No one is being compared to anyone else. Each loves the sounds in a way unique to them. When they play they are sharing their otherwise secret attachment to the music.

In every circumstance it is a privilege to listen that way.