The latest вЂњnew MozartвЂќ is Alma Deutscher, an apparently very bright and sweet British girl, who plays the piano and violin to a high level, and who, more remarkably, has by the age of just 12 composed concertos for violin and piano, a full-length opera (premiered in Vienna) and numerous other works. Equally, parents who do not support their childвЂ™s talent may deprive that child of the life he or she craves and is happiest in, which can lead to problems later on. A heavy responsibility thus falls upon the parents of prodigious children to ensure they thrive, are supported, allowed as normal a childhood as possible, and to avoid burnout from peaking too soon or too much exposure before they are mature enough to cope with the attention. For some, the state school system simply cannot fulfil their needs: exceptionally gifted children need specialist support just as children with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyspraxia do, and some child prodigies also have Attention Deficit Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or AspergerвЂ™s. Many are home-schooled, which immediately sets them apart from other вЂњnormalвЂќ children. Whatever oneвЂ™s view, there is no question that prodigies and gifted children are different. For some, the parading of prodigious children on talent contests and chat shows, where they might be required to perform вЂњtricksвЂќ such as improvisation on random notes pulled out of hat, is akin to watching a circus act.

Meanwhile, others may display a cynicism towards prodigious children: the critic Philip Hensher has commented that вЂњ serious art music could never be written by a childвЂќ and some point to the fact that young children lack the requisite knowledge, emotional intelligence or life experience to bring meaning or insight to the complex music they play that they simply imitate others. True prodigies are able to function at an advanced adult level in a facility such as music, maths or chess before the age of 12, and so we marvel at these talented young people who seem to demonstrate, at their tender age, the very heights of human achievement. Why do prodigies, and specifically musical prodigies, fascinate us and provoke so much awed attention? Fundamentally, itвЂ™s the incongruity of seeing a child, especially a very young child, engaging in what is generally regarded as an adult activity for which substance, maturity, emotional depth and artistry are essential ingredients. This is in part due to a certain вЂњOlympics syndromeвЂќ вЂ“ a competitiveness amongst parents to push their children to greater things and to compete against other children, and their parents. Musical prodigies are not a new phenomenon вЂ“ Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Mendelssohn were all described as prodigies вЂ“ and so these modern вЂњmini MozartsвЂќ are following in a long tradition.Дaniel Barenboim, himself often described as a вЂњchild prodigyвЂќ, has suggested that these remarkable children as only prodigies in the eyes of their parents, and itвЂ™s true that some parents regard a special aptitude in a particularly young child as a sign of вЂњgiftednessвЂќ. We marvel at their prowess, their facility and, more often than not, the extraordinary fleetness of their little fingers, as they rattle off ChopinвЂ™s most challenging Etudes or entire piano concertos. WeвЂ™ve all seen them on YouTube вЂ“ the tiny child at the vast piano playing technically and musically advanced repertoire. Synonyms: child genius, genius, wonder child, wunderkind вЂњ a Russian pianist who was a child prodigy in his dayвЂќ a young person with exceptional qualities or abilities.

вЂњBut it might not make you better than your neighbour.

вЂњPractice makes you better than you were yesterday, most of the time,вЂќ she said. Macnamara said it was mostly important to remember practice isnвЂ™t everything. But I still consider deliberate practice to be by far the most important factor.вЂќ A child who enjoys playing the violin, for example, may be happy to practise and be focused on the task because they do not see it as a chore.вЂќД«ut a co-author of the 1993 study, Ralf Krampe, a psychologist at the Catholic University of Leuven, said MacnamaraвЂ™s paper didnвЂ™t make him question the original findings: вЂњDo I believe that practice is everything and that the number of hours alone determine the level reached? No, I donвЂ™t. To complicate matters further, one factor can drive another. вЂњThe factors depend on the skill being learned: in chess it could be intelligence or working memory, in sport it may be how efficiently a person uses oxygen. вЂњEveryone has practised a lot and other factors are at play in determining who goes on to that super-elite level. вЂњOnce you get to the highly skilled groups, practice stops accounting for the difference,вЂќ said Macnamara.

Average music prodigy practice time