In the Key of Genius Analysis

Derek Paravicini playing the piano
at the TEDxWarwick Conference
(Paravicini & Ockelford, 2013)

Those who retain disabilities are often viewed as being limited in their capability to succeed.  Thus, the disabled are often not given the same opportunities given to the non-disabled. This is an issue the LYSA TOPSoccer organization has sought to correct over the past many years.  Once at practice, I was informed that several TOPSoccer participants have been banned from participating in sports leagues because of their minor disabilities.  Such situations clearly demonstrate the current perception of the disabled held by the public.  However, great strides are slowly being made in changing the perception of the disabled’s abilities.  

In a TedTalk titled “Derek Paravicini and Adam Ockelford: In the Key of Genius” filmed in 2013 at a TEDxWarwich event, Adam Ockelford describes Derek’s journey to become a world-renown pianist.  In his presentation, Ockelford tells the story of how Derek was born three months premature and is both blind and retains autism.  He also told the story of how Derek grew to play the piano with perfect pitch and memory from a very young age.  Derek is now nicknamed the Human iPod and performs at a variety of events around the world.  The purpose of this TedTalk is not only to display Derek’s ability as a marvelous pianist, but also to display the heights which the disabled are able to reach if given the chance to succeed.

Prior to the TedTalk, the audience believed the ideas commonly held by the public regarding the disabled.  Many think the disabled are limited in their abilities and can’t reach great heights.  Those in the audience are probably knowledgeable about autism and its side effects, as well as the basics of playing the piano.  Overall, the audience probably expected to hear Derek’s story and witness Derek play a musical piece or two.  However, I do not believe anyone expected Dereck to play the piano with such talent and precision as he proceeded to do.  He once demonstrated during the presentation how to play “Flight of the Bumble Bee” in several different keys, which is very difficult for many pianists. 

Derek Paravicini playing the piano
(Paravicini & Ockelford, 2013)

The presentation, overall, was delivered effectively.  As stated previously, Ockelford began by telling Derek’s life story.  When he made specific points about Derek’s perfect pitch, he had Derek demonstrate his abilities on the piano to prove his point.  He also used several pictures and audio files in his presentation when telling Derek’s background, including many photos of Derek learning to play the piano as a child.  These visual aids helped to convey Ockelford’s message to the audience and keep the audience attentive during the presentation.  After Ockelford told Derek’s background story, he asked Derek to play several pieces, in order to display Derek’s ability to play the piano with ingenuity and great skill. This demonstration of talent proved the point that the disabled are capable of being successful.  Derek even played “Tiger Rag” to show his ability to play extremely complex pieces.  However, throughout the speech, when Ockelford was speaking, he did not always provide great eye contact with the audience and lacked enthusiasm.  Those are the two skills I hope he will improve upon in the near future.       

References

Paravicini, D., & Ockelford, A. (2013, March). In the Key of Genius.[Video file] Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_paravicini_and_adam_ockelford_in_the_key_of_genius