THEA IONESCU - Gifted Children and their Parents
Abstract
When celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of a talented music teacher and father of a prodigy, Leopold Mozart, it is natural to think about his influence on his son's life. Resisting the temptation to judge his behaviour specifically, in this essay I will discuss giftedness, the role of the environment in gifted children's high-level performance, and in particular the role of their parents. It is my hope that in the end we will have a more nuanced picture to refer to when trying to analyse Leopold's attitude toward his overwhelmingly talented son.
Keywords
giftedness, Mozart, environment, acceleration, prodigies