Jamie is 12 years old and lives alone with his mother, Jane. He was born so premature, so tiny, that he could fit into her hand. As well as being blind, he is autistic and has cerebral palsy, but despite his profound disabilities, Jamie has an exceptional talent for music.Each day, he spends hours at the piano playing and composing by ear. Music is a major part of Jamie’s life – and it makes him happy.

A musical baby
When he was two, Jamie first attended music playgroup, where he stood out from other children because of his remarkable tempo. At six he began to play the keyboard and has been told he has perfect pitch.

All the right emotions
Jamie, who loves all kinds of music – from pop and rock to jazz and classical – is able to listen to and remember a piece of music and then play it by ear. He plays with great sensitivity and puts in all the right emotions at the right time. It seems that being blind has given him a perception of things that other people do not hear or feel. His music teacher, who is also blind, says that he is special, talented, keen and intelligent – that he loves to learn and picks up things easily. With the right help and teaching, she feels that for Jamie “the sky is the limit”.

The impact of music on Jamie’s life
For the past two years, Abi, Jamie’s music teacher, who studies at Royal College of Music, has been teaching Jamie the keyboard and piano. She says that Jamie is very gifted and loves to learn. She is also teaching him Braille music, which she says is a bit like learning a code. However, Jamie picks it up quickly because of retentive memory. Abi feels that, should Jamie be encouraged to continue his music and allowed to thrive, there is every chance he, too, could study at The Royal College and make music his life.