Amazing Six-Year-Old Boy With Autism Plays Billy Joel, Coldplay and More
It’s always exciting to see a young prodigy rock out on a musical instrument (especially since we can barely carry a tune ourselves). But six-year-old pianist Ethan Walmark is all the more impressive since he has Autism Spectrum Disorder and has been playing songs by ear since the tender age of four.
In this clip, Ethan tickles the ivories in a terrific (and fitting) rendition of Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man.’ If there ever was a natural-born piano man, it’s this kid.
For Ethan, music is a form of therapy and his YouTube channel is filled with covers of songs by Paul McCartney to Coldplay. But, for our money, his version of ‘Dear Prudence’ by the Beatles is the absolute best. Check it out below.
So, what inspired Ethan to take up music in the first place? Part of this can likely be traced to his father, who sang ‘I Will’ by The Beatles to his son every night. At the age of four, Ethan was able to play the tune by ear.
But despite his skill on the piano, Ethan struggles with normal social interaction and often has problems focusing. Still, he displays remarkable proficiency at such a young age and has even impressed his piano instructor, Chris Robison.
“He’s a great kid and it’s some kind of a miracle,” said Robison. “I tell people but you can’t really see unless you’re there.”
Check out more of Ethan’s covers, including a recent take on A-ha’s ‘Take on Me,’ below.