Sarah Moore could not believe what she was hearing. Her 11-month old boy had toddled up to the keyboard in their home near Dayton, OH, and plinked out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” It wasn’t the fact that he knew the song that surprised her – Moore knew her son had a toy that played the melody.
What astonished her was the fact that her little son is blind.
“I was mesmerized,” Moore told the Washington Post. “I called my mom up and said, ‘You won’t believe it! Avett’s playing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’!'”
Now, Avett is 7 and plays for hundreds of people around his home state, performing music like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
His videos online, featuring The Turtles’ “Happy Together,” and Bach’s “Minuet in G,” among other familiar pieces, have racked up millions of views.
Avett was diagnosed at just 2-months old with optic nerve hypoplasia, which means an under-developed optic nerve.
“I remember thinking, ‘How will he get through life?'” Moore told the Washington Post. “What will his future be?”
His piano teacher, Rebecca James, who started lessons with Avett a few months ago says his passion for the instrument is clear. “He likes a good challenge and loves playing music with a more complex structure. Sometimes, we just compose or improvise or just jam together.”
Since starting 1st grade, Avett is also learning braille and walking with a cane. He thinks about leaving the pop pieces behind and studying the classics.
“I love performing Bach’s Minuet in G,” he told the Washington Post in an interview over the phone. “And at my last piano lesson, I told my teacher that I also want to learn the ‘Minuet in G Minor’. I’m not as much into Adele anymore.”
Moore is so proud of her son. At the age of 7, she was abandoned by her birth mother, and although she was adopted into a loving family, it took years before she could love herself. “I learned that my self-care is in direct correlation with the success of my children. And with Avett, once I learned about his talent, I knew that it was important to share him with the world.”
Avett continues to play and sing at charity events, and he recently appeared on the Today Show with his rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Pretty incredible, right?
