About a month ago I wrote about Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent and the impact of chance on the development of one's gifts into talents.
Today I was reminded of Annie, another student whose
life course was changed by chance.
While her parents provided
her with tons of enriching experiences, no one in the family was especially
interested in music. Then they
moved to a new house with a much larger living room than they'd had before. With room to spare, they agreed to babysit for a friend’s
baby grand piano. At first it just
sat closed in the middle of the room.
But 9-year-old Annie’s curiosity got the better of her and one day she opened the lid and tried a few notes. The attachment was immediate.
Before long she was spending hours on the piano bench, legs dangling,
composing her own surprisingly complicated melodies.
Her parents agreed when she told them it was time for formal instruction! By middle school she was competing in state music
competitions. By high school she
was winning them . . . and a scholarship to the conservatory of music!
Right time + right place + right advocacy = talent development
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