ELK GROVE, California (KCRA) — An Elk Grove teen is keeping busy this summer by diving into his musical talents.
Neil Nayyar doesn’t just play guitar and drums, he’s mastering instruments from around the world.
“This journey all started when I was in the womb,” Neil told KCRA 3’s Leticia Ordaz on Sunday.
His parents said they listened to Mozart every day when they found out they were pregnant. But they never could have predicted his talents to go this far.
“When I was around six years old my parents took me to a free drum class and after just one drum lesson, I was playing the drums like an old pro,” Neil said.
The 16-year-old from Elk Grove now owns 117 musical instruments and can play them all flawlessly.
“At the age of 12, I made my first world record for playing 44 musical instruments at the age of 12,” Neil said.
He kept asking for more instruments, including rare pieces from India, Vietnam, France and other countries.
“He has the urge to keep going and he keeps going no matter what. He just keeps moving forward,” said his mom, Sukhi Kahr.
The musical prodigy says he is mostly self-taught by finding books and watching YouTube videos.
“I am very grateful for all of the talents that I have,” Neil said. “There are some instruments where I learned from teachers, locally and also from online from different countries.”
And there is no stopping Neil. Next month, his first music album comes out and he’s even written a children’s book that highlights the more than 100 instruments he can play.
He hopes his dedication and can-do attitude will inspire young people to chase their dreams.
“There are three things which I always keep in my mind when I’m doing something… focus it, get it, and have it. If you have those three things in your mind, you will get anything in no time,” he said.
And his mom agrees. She says every child has a gift waiting to be nurtured.
“I would say for the parents just observe your kids and if they like something, support them because you never know, from something small they can get to something big,” she said.
Next up for Neil is Grammy Camp where he will spend a week in Los Angeles with other talented teens who will get to learn from the best in the music industry.
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