What to Know
Miles Bonham is a true prodigy. His parents noticed his fondness for music at a very young age but had no idea of the enormous gift their little boy had. The 10-year-old’s ear for music is positively incredible and has been that way since birth.
Miles quite literally picked up a guitar and taught himself to play. By the time he turned four, he’d mastered five instruments on his own. His parents share his gift with millions on social media, and some simply can’t believe it.
Miles loves music.
His parents spoke with People about their son’s abilities and how he became enchanted by music as a baby. Miles had an obsession with Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven and insisted on listening to the entire song from start to finish each time.
“We could not get out of the car at seven minutes and 55 seconds,” his mother shared. “It had to be the full eight minutes.”
Not only can Miles play multiple instruments, but he also has perfect pitch.
“He used to say things to me like, ‘Mommy, your toothbrush is buzzing in a C half sharp,’ or whatever,” his mother laughed.
Miles’ parents had a tough time finding a teacher for him.
Once they realized that his abilities were a true gift, they knew Miles needed professional instruction, but teachers didn’t want to take him on due to his age. His mother eventually began sending videos for the schools to understand just how special Miles really is. But for Miles, it’s just the way his mind works.
“I sit at the computer, just messing around on my keyboard, just trying to figure out the chords, like, what I wanna do,” Miles said. “And then whenever I find something, like maybe it’s that one synth preset that I really like … or maybe it’s a chord progression, I just start building off of it.”
Miles wants to hang out with his friends.
By sharing his talents online, Miles’ parents caught the attention of huge names in the music industry like Mark Ronson, Zedd, and Skrillex. And while his friends think it’s cool that Miles has such an incredible talent and has met celebrities, no one takes it too seriously.
“It’s kind of like, you know, if I had a friend who really loved baseball and they were super good at baseball. And so sometimes they mentioned it, but normally we just hang out. I wouldn’t, like, ask for a complete play-by-play of every single game,” he said.
Miles’ parents want him to enjoy his childhood.
Miles’ mom and dad know that his gift is a part of who he is, but they also understand that childhood is fleeting. They want their son to enjoy being a kid and doing things with his friends.
“If he can’t be a kid, what is he going to say to the world?” Miles mom asked.
Although his son can play guitar, piano, bass, drums, ukulele, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, and violin, his father never wants to put pressure on Miles.
“He’s a kid, and he wants to live a kid life, so we very much encourage him to live his kid life, ride his bike around with his friends, do the lemonade stands,” he said.
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