You’re about to fall completely in love with a little boy named Avett Ray. He’s a 6-year-old self-taught piano prodigy from Dayton, Ohio – and he’s also blind.
“The moment he could pull himself to reach the piano, he was playing the melody to ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,'” Avett’s mom, Sara Moore, told CBS News.
That happens to be a moment when Avett was just 11-months-old. Since that shining moment, he has been introduced to a piano teacher who has taught him new techniques and classical favorites. And he’s just been a superstar ever since!
“Music is in his body,” Moore said. “He’s really practicing on performing now. Since his talent is so amazing, people are asking him to perform.”
Avett Ray travels and performs at different events – nine hundred people was his biggest attendance in person.
The little boy piano prodigy has had a couple of viral video hits. His first viral video is adorably remembered for when he asks his mom if she’ll text his music to Adele – Avett Ray’s favorite singer. Everyone just loved that he thought his mom would magically have her number!
Now, his latest viral video involves one of his new favorite artists – Queen. After experiencing the Oscar-nominated movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Avett Ray was particularly moved by the music and wanted to do his own cover.
Avett Ray covered the beloved song “Bohemian Rhapsody” on piano and it quickly amassed over 7 million views.
Moore says that her son’s music tastes are always changing and he’s always curious. And what makes him even more special is the fact that he was born with a condition called optic nerve fibroplasia.
“He’s completely blind in one eye but has a little bit of vision in the other,” Moore said. “He’s significantly visually impaired. He walks with cane and he reads braille.”
Avett Ray’s mom hopes that his videos inspire others to be kind to one another and to be accepting and understanding of those with special needs. She even wrote a book called “Cotton Candy Clouds” that raises awareness and support for those who are blind or visually impaired.
“He’s the character in the book,” Moore described. “Basically, he couldn’t see the clouds in the sky, so I wrote this book so he could see them.” The book serves as “a chance to talk about diversity and how everybody’s made special and we’re all born with our own gifts,” Moore said. “I teach people how to engage with blind and visually impaired people.”
Moore says that even though there has been progress, the resources that are available to the blind and visually impaired are still somewhat limited.
“If every company would focus on inclusion … what a difference it would make for so many Americans,” she expressed.
Since Avett Ray’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ cover went viral, people all around the world have shown their support for the little boy and those that are like him. Everyone is in complete awe of his talent and determination. It’s quite an amazing thing to watch for a boy at such a young age.
You can watch the full video of Avett Ray’s viral Queen video below and if you want to check out his other videos, be sure to visit his YouTube channel.
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