Age is not always a determinant of talent. Five-year-old Ryan Wang is a living testament of this. The West Vancouver prodigy has only been playing the piano for about eighteen months, but during this time he has already reach out to over millions of people across the world. On Monday, he was invited to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he showcase his talent by performing the piece Variations on a Russian Theme.
For Ryan, he mentioned that he is not the type who will get nervous in front of large crowds. In fact, the young pianist who wore a tuxedo for his appearance, stated that he enjoyed playing for such crowds. “When I was little I loved to play the keyboard,” he said. He added that maths is his favourite subject in school. However, he feels that it is not much of a challenge for him. “It’s just baby math. It’s like eight plus one equals nine”.
When Ellen asked about how he was able to memorise such complex musical pieces, Ryan explained that it somehow came to him naturally. “It’s just in my memory. I just love it and then sometimes it just goes to my fingers,” the Canadian prodigy described. After Ryan won second place in the American Protégé Competition, he was given an opportunity to perform at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall earlier this year. As for his summer schedule, he has already been scheduled to perform with both the Shanghai Symphony and Italy’s Fazioli Hall. For the full story and a video clip of him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, do check it out over here.
Ryan is a great example of a talented young entertainer, who is capable of picking up a new instrument and learning to play it so flawlessly. This also indicates that when one has the talent, it is undeniable. However, talent still requires consistency and hard work in order to succeed. For Ryan, his success is definitely not solely based on his talent. Yes, it does play a relatively huge part of it, but without the proper training and practice, he would definitely not be where he is today.
So if a five-year-old like Ryan has the ability to learn how to play the piano, then any adult would be able to do so as well overtime. At the end of the day, it still depends on each individual’s hard work and perseverance. So if you are having a hard time, do not despair, just tough it out. For those who require assistance, Awesome Piano provides piano lessons in Singapore for both children as well as adults.