Child prodigys... or forced learning

[Stig]

Take this for example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-EjOroHY10

Makes me wonder how much the kids have taken to it on their own and how much 'encouragement' the parents have given them (ie. lessons every day - like it or not etc).

I'm all for my 5 year old boy to be able to play like this - but blowed if I'm letting him practice on my JEM!

[anonymous-user]

In "Bounce" Matthew Syed argues that there is no suchthing as a child prodigy, mozart for example was raised by keen musicians and placed infront of a piano from an early age. his early work was mostly compilations of existing music and it was only in his early twenties that he wrote his seminal pieces.
Syed argues that mozart will have spent hours at a piano with accomplished musicians (his parents) teaching him and that it is inevitable that he would go on to be a talented musician.

Syed repeats the argument for Serena and Venus Williams with hthe same outcome.

[Obiwonkeyblokey]

In my house its never too early to learn.