deaf/blind kid plays jazz piano - June 2009

Sky Mundell is severely Deaf and completely Blind with Cerebral palsy on his left side, and a number of cognitive disabilities. He got a piano for Christmas 2008 and has taught himself to play a number of jazz pieces by ear. He learns remarkably quickly. Its a pity he started so late, but it wasn't till he could feel an acoustic piano that he got interested.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• deaf blind
• cerebral Palsy
• mental impairment
• music
• piano
• disabilities
• jazz
• CP
• ear
• visual
• gershwin
• blindness
• improvisation
• solo
• instrumental music
• blind
• disabled
• talented pianist
• Sky
• piano cover
• deafblind
• autistic
• amazing
• inspiring

[peaceful531]

He does have perfect pitch, which I dont quite understand. I am told that a high percentage of kids who are born premature and blind also have perfect pitch, but given his degree of deafness it is hard to understand.

[CappyKreol]

This is amazing, he is good.. Can I ask what the name of the last melody is? :)

[peaceful531]

@CappyKreol It is called "if" It was a number one hit for Perry Como in 1951

[peaceful531]

@CappyKreol He has improved quite a bit since then. In 2010 he won a talent contest and as a result he got to play in Las Vegas this Spring. He has a website and a Facebook page with videos on it of the show, but I don't think I can post a URL on youtube.

If you search for Sky Mundell you will find it

[SuperAPPIN]

How can he teach himself to play piano by ear if he's deaf? :S

[peaceful531]

@SuperAPPIN Beethoven was deaf! He can feel the music, and I guess that whatever part of it hes hearing sounds good or feels good to him.

[Phsyco2016]

OMGoodness!!! hes amazing!!!

[11jupitercowboy8]

@peaceful531 Beethoven slowly went deaf over the course of his life, but he could hear well enough as a child to learn the sounds so by the time he was completely deaf in his old age he was able to write full pieces of music because he had those sounds in his memory from earlier in his life.

Anyway, needless to say, I'm amazed! Beautiful playing. I suppose he does just fine with what hearing he does have. Does he have absolute pitch?

[rob1997ify1]

I hope he goes to be big im so sick of all the crap music these days what happened to real music

[rfoudary]

All I can say is that he inspires me. I used to play trumpet myself and I've gone deaf in both ears. As many people don't know, we feel the music and for the rare few of us synesthetes...we see it too. :)

[msmall92]

Wow! You are really talented!!!

Oh BTW. some of you people are ignorant. You can see that he has a hearing aid. That's how he can hear. I myself have hearing aids, and can hear the music. Please stop being ignorant. KAY!?