Little Avett Ray is a 6-year-old piano prodigy from Dayton Ohio who plays remarkably well even though he is mostly blind. This particular performance of a Queen mega-hit is exceptional and well worth watching.
His mother Sara Moore told CBS News that the boy started playing the piano when he could barely walk. She observed Avett’s first attempts to play the piano when he was 11 months old.
After Sara discovered the boy’s talent, she introduced him to a piano teacher who taught him some techniques and some standard classical piano works. The boy quickly became a pro.
Moore told CBS News that talent is an innate part of her son. His playing has developed so much that people request performances from him. Avett has been traveling and performing at various events. His largest live audience so far was 900 people.
Perhaps his greatest claim to fame are his viral video hits. His first one is memorable for his request to send his performance to Adele, his favorite singer, by phone. It was cute that he believed his mom had the magic power to contact an A-list celebrity on his behalf.
His latest video features music by his new favorite rock band, Queen. Avett saw the recent movie about the band, and loved the song “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He was so moved by the performance that he was inspired to create his own arrangement of the piece.
When Avett uploaded his rendition of the song, it went viral and got over 7 million views. His mother notes that Avett’s musical tastes are varied, and his performances pull from different styles and genres.
Avett’s visual impairment is due to a hereditary condition called optic nerve fibroplasia. He has a little bit of vision in one eye, but he is completely blind on the other. His visual impairment requires him to read in braille and walk with a cane.
Mrs. Moore hopes that the performances of her son inspire people to have a more accepting attitude toward people with disabilities. She wrote a book to help further the cause entitled “Cotton Candy Clouds” that deals specifically with people with visual impairments.
She told CBS News that the book’s main character is based on her son. The title was based on the fact that he couldn’t see the clouds, so she wrote the book as a way for him to experience them. The book talks about diversity and encourages people to view each individual as special and gifted. The book also instructs people how to engage with disabled people.
Moore points out to CBS News that there are still limited resources for visually impaired people to become contributing members of society. She believes that companies could help change the situation for the disabled if they adjusted their hiring policies toward them.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.