Recently CBS 60 Minutes did a story on Matthew Whitaker, a blind piano player who has caught the attention of not just jazz audiences all around the country, but also neuroscientists that are studying how the visual cortex of his brain responds to music.
Matthew Whitaker was born at just 24 weeks, weighing less than 2 pounds. Doctors gave him a 50% survival rate because of many complications which included retinopathy of prematurity. After nearly a dozen surgeries over two years in an attempt to save his sight, his parents decided that they didn't want to put him through any more. They just decided to deal with the hand they had been played.
In no time Matthew began responding to music and before he was 3 years old, he was able to play songs on the piano using both hands, after no instruction, and only hearing a piece one time. His parents decided to get him a music teacher, but finding one that knew how and was willing to teach such a young blind child, wasn't easy. Until they discovered the Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York City - a school for children who are visually impaired.
Enjoy this video of 15-year-old Matthew (2016) during Showtime at the Apollo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP_o9e1_0QQ
There's so much more to this story that deserves to be heard and read. Watch the full 60 minutes interview here, and read the story. Learn more about the Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School.