something we learn and acquire overtime? Either way, talent is something to be cherished. It isn’t something we all have. Even for the people who deem themselves talented, what they’re talented in may vary from the talent that someone else possesses.

If you want to know about someone who’s immensely talented in the field of music, I’d refer you to 18-year-old Matthew Whitaker from Hackensack, New Jersey. He not only knows how to tickle the ivories, but he does it despite having been blind his entire life!

What’s more, Matthew is a survivor. Doctors gave him a 50% chance of living when he was born. 11 surgeries later, he’s thriving today. In fact, he learned to play the piano before he could even walk. And by the age of three, little Matthew was writing his own songs and playing two-hand piano compositions with no previous training.

Seeing how much he loved the piano, Matthew’s parents decided to place him in Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School for the Visually Impaired at the age of five. He was the youngest student to ever attend. The school director, Dalia Sakas, was stunned to see how advanced of a player Matthew was. From playing complex songs to quickly memorizing new piano pieces by ear so effortlessly, the Sakas knew there was something very special about the student.

This research shows just how plastic the brain is. Even if one area of the brain is damaged or unused, it’s able to essentially reroute itself to make up for it. Cool stuff!

Listen to Matthew “jazz out” on the piano with Musician Davell Crawford below.

Source: Metaspoon