February 11, 2009 9:48 PM
- Text
A Piano Virtuoso At Age 5
(CBS)
A 5-year-old Maryland boy is already well on the way to realizing his own musical version of the American dream. CBS News Anchor Dan Rather reports.
Jordan Adams, like most 5-year-old little boys, loves to show off.
But unlike his peers, Jordan's talent goes well beyond mere child's play.
The pint-sized classical pianist, whose feet don't even reach the foot pedals, is every instructor's dream.
His proud teacher, Bella Oster, says, "He is naturally gifted."
Oster is a 28-year veteran of Soviet classical teaching. From the moment she laid eyes on young Jordan 18 months ago, she knew he was special.
"I see his sparkle eyes. He wanted it," Oster says.
"He is that special kind of kid that I think anything he touches he will be successful at," says Kenneth Adams, Jordan's father.
"I would like to say it is a gift....I don't know where it came from," adds his mother.
While his parents Kenneth and Chrystal can't take credit for Jordan's talent, they have taught him one thing.
"You can do anything as long as you put your heart and mind to it, and boom it will happen," says Jordan.
"Put your mind to it. Pray upon it. You can do it period," says Chrystal Adams.
With his talent still blossoming, Jordan is already evoking comparisons to some of the greats such as soprano Denyce Graves and singer Simon Estes, African-Americans who helped break the color barrier in classical music. But Jordan doesn't seem to be feeling the pressure.
"I like it because it sounds - it sounds like dinosaur's roar," says Jordan as a piano note is played.
"My dream is to see lots of geniuses around," says Oster. "I want to see many Jordan Adams around."
Noting that is a lot work for a 5-year-old, Jordan's mother says if Jordan didn't want to do it, she would never make him.
"You have choices. So make the right choices, so you can do anything in life that you choose to do," says Jordan's father.
Everyone who chose to be involved in the molding of this American dream is taking a wait-and-see approach knowing that the attention span of a 5-year-old changes as swiftly as the strokes on a keyboard.
Jordan begins a kind of "world tour" this summer. He'll play at the German and Australian embassies in Washington in June and July and at the United Nations in New York in August.
Jordan Adams, like most 5-year-old little boys, loves to show off.
But unlike his peers, Jordan's talent goes well beyond mere child's play.
The pint-sized classical pianist, whose feet don't even reach the foot pedals, is every instructor's dream.
His proud teacher, Bella Oster, says, "He is naturally gifted."
Oster is a 28-year veteran of Soviet classical teaching. From the moment she laid eyes on young Jordan 18 months ago, she knew he was special.
"I see his sparkle eyes. He wanted it," Oster says.
"He is that special kind of kid that I think anything he touches he will be successful at," says Kenneth Adams, Jordan's father.
"I would like to say it is a gift....I don't know where it came from," adds his mother.
While his parents Kenneth and Chrystal can't take credit for Jordan's talent, they have taught him one thing.
"You can do anything as long as you put your heart and mind to it, and boom it will happen," says Jordan.
"Put your mind to it. Pray upon it. You can do it period," says Chrystal Adams.
With his talent still blossoming, Jordan is already evoking comparisons to some of the greats such as soprano Denyce Graves and singer Simon Estes, African-Americans who helped break the color barrier in classical music. But Jordan doesn't seem to be feeling the pressure.
"I like it because it sounds - it sounds like dinosaur's roar," says Jordan as a piano note is played.
"My dream is to see lots of geniuses around," says Oster. "I want to see many Jordan Adams around."
Noting that is a lot work for a 5-year-old, Jordan's mother says if Jordan didn't want to do it, she would never make him.
"You have choices. So make the right choices, so you can do anything in life that you choose to do," says Jordan's father.
Everyone who chose to be involved in the molding of this American dream is taking a wait-and-see approach knowing that the attention span of a 5-year-old changes as swiftly as the strokes on a keyboard.
Jordan begins a kind of "world tour" this summer. He'll play at the German and Australian embassies in Washington in June and July and at the United Nations in New York in August.
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