MARTIN: Brigitte's other hobbies include playing with toys and reading books. To interpret what you see and what you feel. ZHANG: It's beyond the speaking language because I have to use 10 fingers. MARTIN: But music isn't just any language. ZHANG: She read the music, and the music is a language. MARTIN: Here's her teacher on a talk show explaining why she thinks Brigitte is able to progress so quickly. That's very - for that, 3 years old, it's really amazing. ZHANG: I said, now, can you play right-hand D major, left-hand C major, right-hand G major? Then she went - boom, boom, boom, boom, boom - make all the different, right moves. Her teacher says she is still amazed how quickly Brigitte learned. Brigitte's parents have to place a stool under the piano bench to keep her feet from dangling above the ground. MARTIN: That's Brigitte's mother, Nicole Sun.

NICOLE SUN: The first time I heard she - playing a piano piece, I was so deeply moved.

TAO ZIE: At the beginning, I never expected she's going to be a prodigy or anything. MARTIN: Brigitte's father, Tao Zie, signed her up for Zoom classes - you know, something to do during lockdown. ZHANG: From the lessons, I observed she has a curious mind, and she loved to learn. MARTIN: That's Brigitte's piano teacher, Felicia Feng Zhang. She is only 4 years old.įELICIA FENG ZHANG: Brigitte came to me when she was just 2 months after 3 years old. A year later, she became the youngest winner of the prestigious Elite International Music Competition, which grants the winner a performance on stage at Carnegie Hall. MARTIN: Last fall, Brigitte Xie took up the piano. Some of us have even taken up a musical instrument, perhaps the piano. Some of us have even followed through, a gesture at self-improvement or just a way not to go stir-crazy in COVID times. He said he plans on continuing to learn new songs and perfect songs by his favorite musicians Joel and Elton John.At some point over the last 18 months, each of us has probably thought about taking up some new pastime. Ben recently played the national anthem at a Utica Blue Sox baseball game. “Ben is incredibly talented, but he’s really a product of hard work. It’s early to know where he’s going to go, but he’s working really hard and we’re really proud of him,” said Ben's father, JP Kidwell.Īnd with that support, Ben can still be a kid for now. I got really excited when I saw Billy Joel’s drummer, because Billy Joel is probably my favorite singer ever,” said Kidwell. “I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ It made me really happy like doing it. The video received more than 1.3 million views and received thousands of compliments online. However, his biggest moment so far came when his dad submitted this video of Ben performing Billy’s Joel’s 'Piano Man' to “The Pianist” Facebook page. He’s played at numerous sites in his community and he even received a letter from Senator Schumer who commended him for his talent. He loves both of his teachers,' said Ben's mother Christina Kidwell.īen has learned quite a few songs in a short time.Ī few years ago, he scored high on the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music Test. He gets up, he practices every single morning, at least an hour before school. He takes lessons with instructors a few times a week, but practices every morning with his mother. The soon-to-be fourth grader has been playing the piano for about three years.

“I’ve always liked the sound of it, and I like to put smiles on other people’s faces,” said Kidwell. He likes his brothers, baseball and jumping on his trampoline, but he also loves playing. Playing catch with his dad in the back garden, Alasdair Howell might appear like any other 10-year-old boy. Kidwell has the same interests as most other boys his age. This 10-year-old piano prodigy could be the next Chopin. A video of Ben Kidwell, 8, from Utica was recently posted on “The Pianist” Magazine Facebook page as he performed Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” A young boy from Utica is getting attention from around the world on social media for his piano skills.

10 year old piano prodigy