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Modern child prodigies
Go back 250 years ago to Vienna, Austria. You’re out on the town looking for some entertainment when you come across an advertisement for a masterful piano player, performing a recital that night. You’re probably expecting to see a man with graying hair and a hunched back from all the years of leaning over the piano. Instead, you see a boy barely old enough for schooling, playing with all the skill of any player you’ve ever seen. If you haven’t guessed by now, you’re watching Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: the classic example of a child prodigy.
Typical piano player of the 18th century. Photo courtesy of fanpop.com
Fast forward to now. When was the last time we had a child prodigy as notable as Mozart? The general consensus seems to be almost never. We’ve all heard of “that one kid who’s 12 and in college” but we’ve never met him and he’s got no effect on our lives. That should be how we truly measure a prodigy, by the impact they make in the world.
Sure, they may be making mathematicians and physicists out of themselves working toward a better future for all of us, but we never physically experience their contributions. On the other hand, these people are still brilliant and their talent can’t be denied or undermined. That’s why I cringe when I see the latest story about a child prodigy that can get the high score in Dance Dance Revolution or knocking all the billiard balls at once into the pockets he said they were going to go in. Sure it’s a neat trick, but they can hardly be considered a prodigy.
Through some searches on YouTube, I did manage to find a few modern prodigies with amazing ability, but still nothing on the level of Mozart. Is it too high of a standard to compare prodigies to him, or is it fair because of them being in the spotlight? I don’t think I could stop myself from scrutinizing them so harshly, unless I actually met one. Do you know any extra talented kids that you would call a prodigy?
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