
Harvey, 11, learned to play piano by watching YouTube videos
Do you ever watch baking, dance or gaming tutorials online, and did it help you learn a new skill? Well, that is exactly what 11-year-old Harvey from Norfolk did. He picked up the skills to teach himself piano in just five months by watching YouTube tutorials. "I wanted to learn because I found it therapeutic and it was really satisfying playing music like this" he told BBC Radio Norfolk. He now says he practises around two to three hours per day.
Harvey says he plays what he wants to, and enjoys classical music like Ludwig van Beethoven. He has performed at a residential homes for the elderly where his Mum works and in public spaces like at train stations. "It is really nice when you get applause from people. It makes you feel like your performance has been accepted," he said.All that practise has paid off and Harvey's new piano teacher says he is now playing at the top Grade Eight level. He has recently started learning how to read sheet music and says he is even "starting to tinker with composing my own music". He has even been invited to visit the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London. He will spend time with professionals and music experts to see where his new-found talent can take him.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Teachers tackle skydive for Southport girl's charity
Two teachers from a school attended by one of the girls killed in the Southport stabbings have completed a charity skydive to raise funds for a charity set up in her Sephton and Adrian of Farnborough Road School raised more than £18,000 for the Elsie's Story charity was set up in memory of former pupil Elsie Dot Stancombe, who was one of three girls killed at the dance class murders in the Merseyside town in July last year."We are both so proud to be supporting Elsie's Story so that Elsie is remembered as the beautiful young person that she was," Ms Sephton said. "It was always a privilege to teach Elsie and be part of her learning journey at Farnborough."She was such a charismatic, determined young lady who always had an infectious energy and a sparkle in her eyes."Elsie is our inspiration and we wanted to do something to honour her memory and celebrate her incredible spirit." Mr Antell said: "We both want to inspire children to be brave, live their lives and grab every moment that they can."Without a doubt we were both going to be very scared when it came to jumping. But we knew Elsie would be absolutely overjoyed to know her teachers were doing a skydive for her."The skydive was just one event in a series of fundraising activities over the Friday, pupils at Farnborough Road enjoyed a "break the rules day" which saw them donate money in exchange for being allowed to break a list of 15 rules in Saturday, pupils, teachers and parents also raised funds through the Southport Colour Run, which took place at Southport Rugby Club. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.


Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
CBeebies Bedtime Story reveal latest celebrity to take on role as they announce Glastonbury-themed week
Loyle Carner is set to make his CBeebies Bedtime Story debut on Monday ahead of his much-anticipated Glastonbury set. The hip hop star, 30, has a son, four, and a daughter, born in 2024, whose names he has not revealed. In honour of his children he will be reading one of their favourite stories on the show -I Touched The Sun by Leah Hayes. The sweet story follows a young boy who goes on a journey to quite literally touch the sun and it leads him to discover his own inner light. Speaking about the show, Loyle said: 'Let's go! I've practised for this every night in my son's room. Reading a CBeebies Bedtime Story is just a magical thing to do. 'I know this story inside out - it's my favourite book, and my son's and my daughter's. We read it almost every night.' Airing at 6:50pm on Monday on the CBeebies channel and iPlayer, the story will be followed by Loyle's appearance on the Other Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday. Loyle is one of several Glastonbury stars who will be reading the nation's children to sleep as part of the festival-themed week. The Last Dinner Party's Abigail Morris, 25, will read on Tuesday; Sampha, 36, will appear on Wednesday, and The Streets' Mike Skinner, 46, is set to feature on Thursday. The popular format has seen many celebrities read for children, including Snow White star Rachel Zegler, 24. She recently appeared on the show and aptly read a story about a 'powerful princess' - Never Mess with a Pirate Princess by Holly Ryan. Rachel said: 'We can all be powerful princesses. You don't need a king or a queen as parents, or a beautiful white horse, or even a fancy castle to live in. 'To be a powerful princess you just need to be wonderful, brilliant you!' Other big names who have also read CBeebies Bedtime Stories include Harry Styles, 31, Tom Hardy, 47, and music legend Dolly Parton, 79. John Harkins, who said he has been executive editor of the show since 2019, said he is continually surprised by the caliber of celebrities who want to read a story. He told GQ: 'I got the opportunity to go to Nashville to film Dolly Parton and brief her in her dressing room, which was just incredible. 'She requested to do it, and invited us over to Dollywood, [which was set up] with loads of teddy bears. 'She wanted to know how to read and was asking our advice.' CBeebies Bedtime Story has been a staple of the channel since it launched back in 2002.


Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How Ralph got ripped! Why 28 Years Later star dropped his suave, suited-and-booted image to become a rugged heartthrob at 62
It's no secret that Ralph Fiennes is one of Britain's finest exports to Hollywood, with a string of impressive acting credits under his belt. But as the 62-year-old thespian wows critics with his 'vivid' and 'scene-stealing' performance in the long-anticipated zombie thriller sequel 28 Years Later, viewers have been wowed by something other than his acting skills. While Fiennes has long held heartthrob status among swooning fans, the actor is in the best shape of his life in his 60s - as viewers are left in awe of his 'ripped' physique in the movie. The jacked-up Hollywood star first left fans open-mouthed with his incredible body in 2024 Greek epic movie The Return, in which he played Homer's Odysseus. He has since revealed how he got into shape for the role in a diet and lifestyle overhaul that involved gruelling workouts, a near-total ban on alcohol and a low carb diet - but it's hard work that has surely paid off as Fiennes sheds the suave, quintessentially British image he once bore to become a rugged and ripped Adonis. As fans around the world are left open mouthed by the star's transformation, he and his esteemed personal trainer have revealed how he's managed to overhaul his physique - and the extreme lengths he has gone to. Fiennes's fitness regime has been born out of a close relationship with personal trainer Dan Avasilcai, who is based at the Muscleworks Gym in east London. The trainer has previously revealed how he helped Fiennes get into shape while bearing in mind his age and admitting a man in his 60s must train differently to a man in his 20s. 'Their muscles, bones and joints are different. I kept Ralph's workouts strict and safe,' he told The Times in April. Fiennes revealed to the newspaper that his fitness regime saw him drop from 80kg to 73kg after maintaining a rigorous schedule of exercise which included waking up at 5.30am to hit the gym and carrying out weight sessions before doing cardio. He cut out booze and bread and didn't snack on sweets, and even dehydrated himself to enhance the definition in his muscles. 'In the script it was clear - the nakedness. In The Odyssey, he throws off his rags, so it was clear that I had to show my body,' Fiennes said of the character that prompted his transformation. 'I wanted it to be believable as a man who's fought and sailed and swum and has not eaten very much.' Speaking to GQ this month, Avasilcai revealed how Fiennes is as dedicated to his fitness regime as he is to his roles, and sticks to the plans set out. Although it was The Return that prompted Fiennes's makeover, he worked with his trainer throughout filming for Papal drama Conclave which earnt him an Oscar nomination. Avasilcai said: 'He had a really good body under the robes. He was very keen to maintain a look. He would ask me 'Can you measure my body fat levels?' And we'd do it with callipers at the gym. At times I had to force him to eat a bit more, and explain to him that it isn't healthy to stay lean for so long.' After beginning his transformation in 2023, Fiennes dropped to around five per cent body fat within a few months of observing the new plan. In 28 Years Later, Fiennes plays Dr Ian Kelson, another weary character who has survived a zombie apocalypse - meaning he must look 'strong and agile', according to his trainer. He explained a typical day in Fiennes's fitness regime would be a 5.30am start to train for an hour, with a run at around 6pm. The rest of the day would be packed with high protein meals using ingredients like salmon, eggs and chicken breast, plus protein shakes and fruit. Avasilcai explained the high protein diet was necessary to ensure Fiennes, at 62, would have the energy to train and carry out long days on set without fear of injuring himself. Fiennes has previously revealed that, contrary to some fans' comments, he was never trying to achieve a 'bulked-up gym body' and instead wanted to look like 'a bit of old rope' in playing Odysseus. Speaking to the Guardian, The Return's director Umberto Pasolini said: 'At the beginning, I have to confess, I was slightly suspicious that there was so much protein going in and so much exercise that we would have a body that looked exercised instead of a body that was consumed, a lived body.' Regardless of roles, it seems the strict fitness regime is now a way of life for Fiennes, who has forged friendships via the gym. Chi Lewis-Parry, Fiennes's 28 Years Later co-star, has revealed how he and the veteran actor bonded over lifting weights in between filming. Speaking to Variety, the 6ft 8in star said he and Fiennes were 'best buds'. He added: 'We go to the gym and work out together a lot.' And as audiences and critics alike are wowed by Fiennes in Danny Boyle's long-awaited third instalment of the apocalyptic zombie thriller, the thespian's gym sessions are clearly grabbing viewers' attention. Fans who have seen the zombie film have taken to social media to express their awe at his physique. One person wrote: 'Ralph Fiennes is ripped!!!! Ripped!' Another joked: 'I was very attracted to Ralph Fiennes in 28 Years Later when I should not have been. I am beyond repair.' However, plenty of viewers thought it was perfectly reasonable to be attracted to the 'sexy' star in his ripped state. One viewer said: 'HELLO Ralph Fiennes???' Another simply said: 'How sexy is Ralph Fiennes.' Critics have lauded the esteemed actor's performance in the thriller as 'towering' in the role of Dr Kelson - but if viewers' verdicts are to be believed, Fiennes's bulging biceps will be just as enthralling.