When This Child Is Born, Nobody Knew What Would Become Of Him Two Years Later. Absolutely Incredible.
#1
Now and then there are people who possess an incredibly amazing talent. Derek Paravicini is one of them. He had a rough start to his life. Born nearly 3 months prematurely, he won the fight for his life but suffered some brain damage in the process. Derek is blind, has a learning disability and suffers from a severe form of autism. His parents worry if he'll ever be able to have a normal life, because he'll never manage day-to-day life on his own. He has difficulty communicating with other people, his coordination is so off that he can barely get dressed by himself.
#2
But thanks to a coincidence, they discover an unbelievable side to him: Derek is a musical genius! One day when his mother is taking him to school, they hear a noise from afar that may change his life forever: In the distance, the soft notes of a playful melody are faintly coming from the school piano.
#3
Derek cannot resist, he feels magically drawn to it. Even his mother says that it was as though something suddenly happened to him. Almost magnetically, the little boy walks straight to the source of these gentles sounds. He pushes the player from the bench and then something unbelievable happens. He sits down at the piano and suddenly a change occurs within him: Derek's posture improves dramatically, his body language becomes more confident and his hands relax.
#4
As his fingers touch the keys, suddenly everything makes sense. Derek's hands dance and find the first notes of a light melody. It's impossible to separate him from the instrument and ultimately his mother decides that her son should take piano lessons. Soon it becomes clear that Derek is more than just extraordinarily talented.
#5
His teacher Adam Ockleford soon ends up teaching him not just once a week but every day. And Derek masters the instrument within a matter of months. He has perfect pitch and a very rare understanding of music.
#6
At the age of 7, he plays his first concert and just 2 years later he is even allowed to perform with the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra. He is what you would call a savant - this what you call people with an extraordinary talent who have difficulties in social environments or with daily tasks but instead can use all their energy on a single task. For Derek this is music. He is able to perfectly play back a piece of music after hearing it only once.
#7
This isn't the only thing: He can also play it back flawlessly in other styles and rhythms. If, for example, he hears an old jazz number, he can play it as a pop piece without issue. It is really extraordinary. Today he produces CDs, plays concerts regularly and whenever he steps on the stage the audience experience this transformation.
#8
Now Derek is considered to be one of the best pianists of all time. His parents are unbelievably proud of him and he has even received an honorary doctorate title for his musical accomplishments. As such, he is the first person world-wide with a learning disability to have received this honor. At his birth, no one even considered that he'd become an amazing example for what the human brain can achieve. His passion is visible from the second he sits down at the piano.