There are some absolutely incredible child musicians out there, but one of the best has to be Avett Ray Moore.
The 6-year-old little boy from Dayton, Ohio, has taught himself to play the piano, and we’re not talking basic tunes here, either. He can play all the difficult stuff, including Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
As if Avett Ray wasn’t enough of a prodigy in his piano playing, there’s something even more incredible about his skills: he’s blind.
The talented young boy was born with a condition called optic nerve fibroplasia, making him completely blind in one eye and nearly completely blind in the other.
He has to walk with a cane and read braille, but his vision impairment is no setback when it comes to his love for the piano.
At just 11 months old, Avett Ray was lifting himself up to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, according to Sara Moore, his mom. Speaking to CBS News about her talented son, she said:
“Music is in his body. He’s really practicing on performing now. Since his talent is so amazing, people are asking him to perform.”
Avett Ray has become something of a celebrity in his local area, and often travels to perform at local events.
He’s also had a few videos of his piano-playing go viral, including an adorable video where he asked his mom if she’d be able to share his performance with Adele, one of his favorite singers. Bless him!
Avett Ray likes to play music based on the performers who inspire him, and after watching the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” based on the life of Queen’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury, he became set on learning to play a Queen song.
As little Avett Ray doesn’t like to cut corners, he settled on one of the most difficult songs of them all: “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
The video of Avett Ray playing the tune shines a light on his incredible talent. He’s standing at the piano, barely tall enough for his fingers to reach the keys, but he plays like a pro twice his age.
Not only does Avett Ray play the piano, he sings along to the entire song in time with his piano-playing. He has the confidence to make the song his own, and he’s never a second off-beat.
From the slow-and-steady beginning to the pacy ending, Avett Ray is the star of the show. His performance would make Freddie Mercury proud – he puts every ounce of his effort into the song.
Unsurprisingly, the YouTube video of Avett Ray’s performance has gone viral, with 8 million views to date.
The little lad is a clear star-in-the-making, and nobody can get enough of his cuteness combined with talent.
Viewers of the video have commented to show their support for Avett Ray, and nobody can quite believe that a boy of his age, with his own challenges arising from his disability, has already reached such a level of talent.
Sara, Avett Ray’s mom, is grateful for the attention that her son’s videos receive, hoping they can inspire people to be more accepting of special needs.
Having written a book to raise awareness for the blind, Sara is the biggest advocate for her son. She said:
“He’s the character in the book. Basically, he couldn’t see the clouds in the sky, so I wrote this book so he could see them.”
If you haven’t seen Avett Ray’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance yet, drop everything and watch it now! Scroll down and press “play” – and prepare yourself for a musical treat.
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