Exemplary Eagle: Grade 1 Student B M.

When first grader B is asked who his favorite composer is, he answers, “Me!” That’s because, by age six, B has already written hundreds of sheets of music. He is inspired by Beethoven and Bach, two composers who also began at a young age. 

B’s enthusiasm for the piano started during the pandemic. His parents noticed that he took an interest in a piano app on his mother’s phone. He quickly learned many notes and was able to replicate them on the piano. His Graded music teacher, Ms. Olga, believes that B has absolute pitch—a rare ability to identify a musical note without a reference tone. 

“Most people have relative pitch, which means your ear needs to compare two notes in order to identify them. B has perfect pitch. He hears a note and can immediately name it,” she said. This ability enables B to hear a piece and replicate it right away on the piano without reading sheet music. 

B’s musical talents go beyond just playing the piano. His fascination with connecting symbols and sounds led him to explore different languages such as Russian, Greek, and Hebrew. During the pandemic, B even took Japanese classes on Zoom. Currently, he attends music classes outside of school twice a week. One class is more structured and technical, while the other allows him to compose and play pop songs. He enjoys his freestyle class the most, as he can express himself creatively through his own compositions.

Despite his small hands, B’s musical abilities are already impressive. His technique and writing may not yet be perfect, but he spends a lot of time composing and developing his own notation using symbols that make sense to him. With perfect pitch and the ability to learn quickly, B is on the path to becoming a musical prodigy.