Nope, I’m not going to write about it, but I sure wish the press would!<\/p>\n
The Olympics have renewed my fascination with all things surrounding
\nchild prodigies and, especially with the games being in China, I wonder
\nwhy we haven’t seen child prodigy athlete vs. child prodigy classical
\nmusician press. <\/p>\n
Surely there are huge, glaringly obvious
\nsimilarities: extreme focus on a singular pursuit from a very young
\nage, supportive beyond-supportive-parents (or parental figures),
\nintense training, legendary coaches\/teachers, presence of natural
\ngifts, all-consuming travel schedules, physical demands, careers
\npotentially cut short by injury, existence just below the mainstream
\ncelebrity line for most….lots of interesting compare\/contrast
\nmaterial there. You can’t swing a dead Chinese cat without hitting a
\nhuman
\n“interest” story in NBC’s Olympic coverage, so I’m frustrated that
\nthere hasn’t been a Chinese classical musician\/Chinese athlete
\ndevelopment piece. Commitment from a national level to developing young
\ntalent of all genre? Come on, that’s gold! [pun…intended.] Every time the cameras cut to Mama
\nPhelps, I think how intriguing a piece examining successful young
\nathletes’\/musicians’ parents would be; similarities would certainly
\ncross national boundaries, there. And what better platform than The
\nOlympics to explore where and how prodigies in all areas
\nmaterialize, since multiple studies have shown that neither geography
\nnor ethnicity appears to matter in sports or classical music. <\/p>\n