<p>[Astronomer</a> Discovers Center Of Universe | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source](<a href=“The Onion | America's Finest News Source.”>The Onion | America's Finest News Source.)</p>
<p>Infant S preferred King Crimson’s first album to everything else. 
It was the only thing to calm him down. And we tried everything else. Bach and Mozart couldn’t hold a candle to Robert Fripp. S also wrote a whole lot of songs when he was 4-5 yo, they are forever preserved by his grandparents on tape. Should we have tried to send them to record companies? I think not. :)</p>
<p>My parents used to put on classical music while my sister and I were going to sleep as children. One of the first things I said when I started speaking was that I hated Brahms. Apparently lots of children are very demanding about their music. :)</p>
<p>A study of the perfest pitch:</p>
<p>[University</a> of California Absolute Pitch Study](<a href=“http://perfectpitch.ucsf.edu/ppstudy.html]University”>http://perfectpitch.ucsf.edu/ppstudy.html)</p>
<p>We could play this game for a long time. S did kick me in time to the Messiah’s Hallelujah chorus. I also blame Brideshead Revisited for re-arranging his going to sleep time from 8 to 10. But he was not a musical prodigy in or out of the womb. And I agree totally that perfect pitch does not a musical prodigy make.</p>
<p>Now, if he had been able to compose a Mozart aria at 3 instead of impersonating the Queen of the Night…</p>
<p>My point in posting about my S’s early musical abilities was to show that being a musical prodigy is very very rare, and that kids who do show some abilities early on–such as recognizing Beethoven’s 7th or singing a Mozart aria, are not, ipso facto, musical prodigies. I am glad that so many have had similar experiences to ours with regard to their children.</p>
<p>Funny anecdotes. LOved the Briancentric Theory of the Universe.</p>
<p>S#1, who did turn out to have perfect pitch (like me) and got a 5 on the AP Music Theory exam, showed his talent as a baby by shutting up when the NPR “All Things Considered” theme song came on. :D</p>
<p>In all seriousness, you could tell he recognized the ditty by turning to the radio and paying attention. For a few seconds.</p>
<p>When my kids were taking music at a weekend conservatory, there was a little girl who played the cello so beautifully, she took everyone’s breath away. I was in the office with the director and used the word “prodigy” in decribing her as she was definitely levels above the other talented kids who were studying music there. </p>
<p>Well, she grabbed a videocassette and played a piece from it for me; a little boy who played the cello with such verve , and a difficult piece to boot. Even the poor quality of the tape could not hide the child’s natural affinity to music. So talented. Well, that was the most talented child she had encountered in her thirty years in classical music lessons with children. So where was this child today? Is he YoYo Ma’s competition. I’ll not forget her answer. “Oh, he stopped practicing when he got older.” </p>
<p>Adulthood and independence is often the equalizer for children. Many times slow and steady does win the race.</p>
<p>I recall hearing my son give another boy a detailed lecture on the subject of Hannibal crossing the Alps at age 4. I guess that makes him “the world’s youngest history teacher” according to Mr. Cawley’s standards. Not.</p>
<p>Seriously, Mr. Cawley if you are still reading this and you actually want to find an appropriate learning environment for your gifted son and are actually prepared to go anywhere to get it, check out the Davidson Institute in Nevada, as you have been advised to do on various forums.</p>
<p>Fixating on the idea that a university is the only appropriate solution at this point is very short-sighted.</p>
<p>I have barely glanced at the hate on these pages. It is really, really perturbing that strangers think they can gang up on someone they don’t know and (I hope personally) will never meet.</p>
<p>I just have a gifted son. Three of them in fact. I am trying to get suitable educations for them. Locally, it is difficult, so I am looking further afield. That is all.</p>
<p>Contrary to all that has been said, especially by Jason 1234 who appears unable to reason coherently and is very loose with statistics, Ainan is still going to NTU, on an informal basis. He is still in regular contact with the academics there. They issued a public statement, themselves, stating the reason for his non-admission was safety issues pertaining to his size. Nothing more. Nothing less. I am sure that they are able to speak for themselves and don’t need “Jason 1234” to speak for them. Especially since there is so much anger in the way he writes. Most people wouldn’t want an angry representative, like that.</p>
<p>Contrary to those who focus on Ainan’s O level, Ainan is now preparing for A level. The Universities he is in discussion with know this. The writers here ignore this. The academics we are relating to have a much better idea of Ainan’s gifts than anyone who has posted here. </p>
<p>Those who would like to know the facts of the situation should reassess Jason’s remarks in the light of the fact that he is unable to read the press releases he speaks of. Or unable to write truthfully of what he reads: one of the two. They don’t actually say what he says they say. He says it. I speak, for instance, of the musical ability of my children. Nowhere do I say “musical prodigy”. He does. He has created a straw man argument for you all to get angry about. </p>
<p>As some of you have noted, gifted children may show more than one gift: what is the big surprise if they are musical as well as other things, too? There shouldn’t be a surprise about that. </p>
<p>What we have here is a lot of people behaving like a pack of wild animals, ganging up on a victim. I find this thread one of the most shocking things I have ever read. </p>
<p>I don’t know whether anyone posting here (because I haven’t been able to bring myself to read most of the posts), has a very gifted child. If anyone of you have, you should know how difficult it is to get proper provision, when education systems are designed for the average student. </p>
<p>We are making progress on Ainan’s education. We should be able to arrange for the right kind of place for him. No doubt that will make the Jason 1234s and others of his kind very angry and they will post more hate on the internet. More rational people, though, will be happy that a gifted child has found a good environment. </p>
<p>As for Jason’s analysis of what an O level at the beginning of a school career means and comparing it to a sixteen year old’s efforts…I find it difficult to believe that most people won’t be able to see through the poor reasoning. A child who can pass an O level when other kids are still learning to read properly is showing stronger evidence of intellectual function, than a teenager at 16 who passes 8 of them. That would seem to be obvious.</p>
<p>It would be impossible to counter all the misleading statements that have been made in this thread - it would take days of effort. I can only say this: none of you know Ainan at all. None of you have any real basis for your statements, other than your belief systems. What you choose to believe is up to you…but do you really think it is fair, wise or reasonable to state as factual, matters relating to a child you don’t know, what is only a belief or disbelief that you possess? That is not truly a rational thing to do. It is something born of dark emotion. </p>
<p>I don’t know why there is so much hate on this thread. If I knew of a parent of a child like Ainan, I would do my best to advise and assist. I would never think to weigh them down with awful statements.</p>
<p>Imagine, for a moment, how you would feel, personally, were you me, and all these hugely unpleasant comments were about you and your family. How would you feel?</p>
<p>I would, however, like to thank those of you who actually tried to make a positive contribution and offered advice or counter-argument. The kindnesses, there, are appreciated.</p>