Though the concept of prodigy has certainly evolved outside of the sphere of social media throughout history, much of our perception of what makes someone a prodigy has changed because of interactions with media outlets. The media (articles, interviews, etc) strives to cast these figures as young, almost infantilized performers, and their entire identity is constructed around this. They’re typically described with linguistics that further re-emphasize their age (“cute,” “precious,” etc) and often dehumanize the individuals themselves. Media content is everywhere, and because of this, the speed at which we absorb content has increased. It suggests that nothing is significant for more than a brief period of time, as we’re already moving on to the “next big thing.” This means that, in order to establish someone as prolific or particularly interesting in their field, they are often assigned descriptors like “prodigy” in order to draw the eye and solidify them as celebrities. It does, as I stated, run an immense risk of dehumanizing and reducing these individuals to their craft. This is also much more prevalent with female musicians than with males, as women artists are often faced with the dichotomy of wanting to be individuals while being typecast into various performative boxes by media outlets. 

This also echoes what I studied in Music History last spring in regards to Alma Deutscher, a similarly-talented and young pianist and composer often heralded as the “next Mozart.” Deutscher and Bear both reject the moniker of “prodigy” because it minimizes their humanity and often casts a negative light on their accomplishments. It also implies that their talent and their age are intrinsically linked, which can stifle their growth and cause serious waves of imposter syndrome as they age and lose the “prodigy” title, despite only growing in their abilities. Artists, and especially the most talented and youthful ones, are almost over-exposed in the media, and though this can lead to immense burnout, it should also serve to remind us of the inherent beauty and creativity and music, and strive to use that as our focus rather than stereotypical monikers like "prodigy."

https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/arts/2014/10/27/piano-star-emily-bear-prodigy-mesa-arts/18022895/ 

The musical prodigy that I chose for this week is Billy Strings.  On the surface, Billy Strings sounds like a bluegrass guitarist with blazing fast fingers and a country twang.  However, on further listening, it’s hard to pin down what musical realm Billy Strings and his bandmates fall into.  They experiment musically between “traditional” bluegrass sounds, psychedelic music sounds, hard-driving metal rhythms, and more.  They do not fit the mold of any particular musical genre that has come before them.  It’s this fact, along with Billy’s unquestioned talent, that makes him a musical prodigy in the 21st century.

Billy Strings also uses the 21st century social media to his advantage.  He shares videos of him and his bandmates on tour.  He releases behind the scenes recordings of their practices.  He even shares videos of him and his dad fishing.  It’s this type of insider’s look into his life that has supplemented his guitar skills and made him available to all of his fans in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without social media. 

To add on, Billy Strings makes his biggest impact on the stage.  From his own admission, his goal isn’t to sell millions of albums.  It’s to share his music, live, with an audience and create that singular unique moment with the people in his vicinity.  

 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/billy-strings-bluegrass-must-see-774144/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justin-yu-cello-ellen_n_5881388 

   

     Billie Eilish is currently one of the most accomplished popular artists in recent history. Once you take into account that she is only 18 years old it is hard to imagine how she has done so much already with only one album. While not all would consider her a “prodigy,” I would argue otherwise.

     Billie Eilish came on the scene as a 14 year old. She uploaded what eventually was released as her first single, “Ocean Eyes,” on SoundCloud in 2016. This launched her into stardom. Her unique sound and style got her noticed as the track gained traction on SoundCloud. This is the first form of media that got her, and many other 21st Century artists noticed. While it is not social media necessarily it is a platform for young artists to get noticed with little pressure and much potential.

     Billie Eilish does use media interviews and her own social media accounts to construct an image that is unlike the stereotypical young, female popstar. She is less traditional, using more vulgar language and dressing a little edgier than her pop music counterparts. It all reflects her music that is darker in sound and content for her age and genre of “pop” as a whole. 

     Billie Eilish has made a name for herself using these 21st Century tools to promote herself and build an image that paid off quickly as she dominated the Grammys in 2019 at age 17. She is a pop icon and has cleared the way for other young artists to make a run for the top of the charts should they have the image and talent.

The prodigy that I have chosen is Alma Deutscher, who has been compared to Mozart.  As a violinist, pianist, and composer who wrote her first piano sonata at five, a short opera at seven, a violin concerto at nine, and a full opera at ten, the comparison may not be two far off.  She has played concerts all around the world, playing at the fabled Carnegie Hall in December of 2019.  She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, 60 Minutes, and the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Most of the interviews seemed to focus more on her remarkable age than her talent, with the typical question, “what is like to be a composer who is a little girl?” being asked as more than “what is it like to be a composer?”  The critics in America have been oddly silent, the conspicuous lack of a review of her Carnegie Hall concert showing that, perhaps, they would rather her music be more avant garde than the heavily melodic, romantic tinged compositions that Deutscher has been producing since her early childhood.  The only other performances of her music in the United States was a run of her opera, Cinderella in San Jose, California, but this may be a side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, since the Carnegie concert was in December before the outbreak.  When I was an undergrad, one of my professors always said that the bread and butter of any professional symphony was mostly romantic and classical with a side of modern.  It seems that Deutscher has tapped into this and does not show any signs of moving into a more modern style any time soon.   I do not think that she will have the sort of social media frenzy that a Justin Bieber would have with viral videos and screaming teenagers at a Today Show morning concert.  But she does seem to have the more sedate, Susan Boyle kind of celebrity.   As a triple threat virtuoso, it would be nice to hear more about her as a classical musician, but social media does not seem to move that way.  Her Facebook page has lots of videos of her singing with her sister, selections from concerts, and even playing some of her favorite works by Schubert.  I think that her crowd pleasing, joyfully melodic music will continue to develop as she grows into an adult musician, but I hope that she can hang on to her philosophy that music should be beautiful.  The world can use more beauty these days.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/world/europe/alma-deutscher-prodigy-mozart.html 

The prodigy that I have chosen is Alma Deutscher, who has been compared to Mozart.  As a violinist, pianist, and composer who wrote her first piano sonata at five, a short opera at seven, a violin concerto at nine, and a full opera at ten, the comparison may not be two far off.  She has played concerts all around the world, playing at the fabled Carnegie Hall in December of 2019.  She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, 60 Minutes, and the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Most of the interviews seemed to focus more on her remarkable age than her talent, with the typical question, “what is like to be a composer who is a little girl?” being asked as more than “what is it like to be a composer?”  The critics in America have been oddly silent, the conspicuous lack of a review of her Carnegie Hall concert showing that, perhaps, they would rather her music be more avant garde than the heavily melodic, romantic tinged compositions that Deutscher has been producing since her early childhood.  The only other performances of her music in the United States was a run of her opera, Cinderella in San Jose, California, but this may be a side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, since the Carnegie concert was in December before the outbreak.  When I was an undergrad, one of my professors always said that the bread and butter of any professional symphony was mostly romantic and classical with a side of modern.  It seems that Deutscher has tapped into this and does not show any signs of moving into a more modern style any time soon.   I do not think that she will have the sort of social media frenzy that a Justin Bieber would have with viral videos and screaming teenagers at a Today Show morning concert.  But she does seem to have the more sedate, Susan Boyle kind of celebrity.   As a triple threat virtuoso, it would be nice to hear more about her as a classical musician, but social media does not seem to move that way.  Her Facebook page has lots of videos of her singing with her sister, selections from concerts, and even playing some of her favorite works by Schubert.  I think that her crowd pleasing, joyfully melodic music will continue to develop as she grows into an adult musician, but I hope that she can hang on to her philosophy that music should be beautiful.  The world can use more beauty these days.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/14/world/europe/alma-deutscher-prodigy-mozart.html 

Through social media videos of her talents have been shared across the world. There is a cute little video of her sitting next to an interviewer and creating a composing/performing a sonata on the spot. Alma was even a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and has been the feature of documentaries produced by BBC and CBS.This talent unseen by anyone else, and is especially by someone so young, has caused this video to be shared all over. Alma’s talent was enough to be recognized, but social media allowed her name to spread all across the world. She is still only 15 and is to premier a new opera with the Salzburg State Theater. I believe Alma Deutscher would have been a recognized musician if social media did not exist, but in a world with it her talent traveled farther and faster. Her talents also became more rare, because no one could dispute or compare to the tasks she was completing. Alma became in a higher class of musicianship because the world became aware of how special she was. 

I chose Daniel Clarke Bouchard for my piece. He was born in the year 2000 and started studying piano at the age of 5. He moved extremely fast and put on his first recital at the age of 6. In 2009 he won the gold medal at the Montreal Classical Music Festival. He won numerous competitions across Canada, he also received numerous scholarships as well. He been featured on television and major networks as well. He has been on major Canadian networks and major American shows. His performances show immense talent and professionality. The media Identifies Bouchard as a young bright and talented with a long resume to boot. Social media has made it possible to seek and identify child prodigies. In the past child prodigies might not have been recognized due to their socio-economic status and inability to travel to various countries. Social media has allowed that to happen with a few clicks. 

Jacob Collier is a 26-year old prodigy from London. He has been revered for not only his superb musicianship and mastery of virtually every instrument he picks up, but also his deep, ground-breaking understanding of music at the elemental level. Since coming on to the music scene in 2012, he caught the eye of Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock who aided in his launch into stardom. 
Social media was crucial to Jacob Collier’s recognition as a musical prodigy. Like many other artists, Collier began by posting covers to YouTube, later posting his own work. A handful of these videos went viral, leading to his relationship with Jones and Hancock. This is quite common in the modern world. Many artists are “discovered” by music industry giants each year primarily through posting their content to YouTube or Soundcloud. Though Collier has now released several albums and won multiple GRAMMYs for his music, he keeps up this use of social media. He frequently posts to YouTube still and now uses platforms such as Instagram to build up and communicate with his following. The use of social media in this way allows artists to create more accessible identities for themselves and to publicly engage with their fans. In general, this has the power to generate larger fan bases and publicity. 
The articles and images for Collier paint him as quite a unique individual. The article details his early upbringing, his “discovery” on YouTube, and his relationship with music industry legends. It is certain to point out that Collier originally turned down Quincy Jones’ offer to produce for him. The image captures a similar quality. It demonstrates his uniqueness under the lights of stardom. It also shows off his talent with instruments. Overall, the media makes sure to play up Collier’s status as a prodigy. 

Article: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/jacob-collier-the-prodigy-who-wowed-herbie-hancock-and-quincy-jones-20190815-p52hfe 

Image: https://www.nitelifeonline.com/words/review-jacob-collier-live-trinity/ 

     Emily Bear was only 5 years old when making her professional piano debut. As the years went on, Emily composed, performed, and sung many pieces of her own all over the world. Even now, not even 20 years old, still producing high-quality performances to people everywhere, Bear stays true to her roots as a performer starting at her young age. I believe the media does a good job of portraying her as a prodigy by listing every element of her career. Most people find it impressive when people achieve goals in a matter of days or years when it takes most people decades to achieve the same goal. Most articles display the number of works created and performances. Rarely do they talk about the quality of playing, but more so the quantity. 

     Social media has created a world where celebrities can be created overnight. All it takes is one video of a performance to lead to millions of views and then other shows capitalizing on instant fame and getting the performer's name known. For these young prodigies, it only takes a view or a good agent or musician to take them under their wing. While Emily had to work through the piano world in a condensed version, other stars are found early and rise to the top because of guidance. I think this is the biggest difference between today and the years before technology. Before many talented people were never found because they could never even have access to an instrument, let alone be noticed or rise out of the situation they were in. By all means, that happens today still, but as I said, it only takes one video to give someone an opportunity to rise up from where they are. 

     One last element I feel plays a big role is sometimes where a performer comes from. People today find great joy for people who come from nothing. Two pianists could have the same ability, but if one came from a horrible background of despair or poverty, people would choose them over the opposite. You can see this all the time on talent shows such as American Idol or America’s Got Talent. Many of the performers are people who struggled to get to where they are rather than years of hard work to be as good as they are. I think it correlates to whether prodigies stay in the public eye or drift off. Many performers have their 15 minutes of fame, but they drift away, never to be heard of again. While some work hard to make their talent known. All these things can add to how a prodigy comes into the light of publicity. 

https://thelincolnacademyofillinois.org/emily-bear-piano-performer-songwriter/ 

I think that Collier also represents the way in which we now find and knowledge talent. His career began when he started creating YouTube videos made up of layered tracks of his own voice along with and instrumental backing. I think this stands in major contrast to the accounts of Lind’s discovery, who had to rely on previously established talent to make it into the spotlight. The prodigies that are featured now are discovered by people browsing the internet. They no longer need the middle man to reach their audiences because social media platforms allow them to do it themselves.

I think that it is also important to note that this platform also gives a lot more detailed information about Jacob Collier that allows us to see into the creation of a prodigy. I have read a number of different accounts about Collier’s history and background in music over the past few years I have been listening to his music. I think the most important detail about him is that he comes from a family of musicians and music educators. When I began reading about his family, I was instantly reminded of the Malcom Gladwell’s ‘Outliers.’ In his book (I don’t remember exactly where) he talks about how chance access to information and unique experiences form the bases for individuals to gain the experience necessary to reach the outlier status that these musicians have obviously reached. Collier was certainly raised in an environment that encouraged his musical endeavors. It makes me wonder about the unique circumstances that Gottschalk and Lind were subject to, and if they, in a similar way, lended to their prodigy status.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/f9888443-d341-499d-8342-3d8891dc3b6b