A 3-year-old boy from Nebraska has left TikTok users amazed after teaching himself how to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on a steel drum in a matter of days.
In a clip on TikTok posted by his parents, Jessica Steinert, 29, and Alec Steinert, 32, little Remi works through the notes on his new instrument, memorizing the sounds until he could string them together into the full melody.
By the third day, Remi had “taught himself” the whole tune and was also singing along to it.
Jessica told Newsweek that her toddler’s love for music began at birth. Born with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia—meaning he was born without his pulmonary artery and had holes in his heart—Remi has endured many health challenges from a young age.
At 4 days old, he had a stent placed in his heart, and just before he was 6 months old, he underwent open-heart surgery.
“He was called the Elvis baby [by medical staff] and they would already have Elvis Presley playing for him when we walked in because it was the only thing that kept him calm,” Jessica said.
That early connection to music only grew stronger. By age two, Remi was carrying drumsticks everywhere he went and recreating Elvis concerts at home.
Today, he plays on his own drum set daily, so when he sat down with a steel drum recently, it wasn’t surprising that curiosity took over.
“Although he sings a lot of music that gives him the nickname ‘an old soul,’ he still loves his classic toddler tunes,” Jessica explained.
“Watching him realize that some of them sounded like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ made him so excited that he kept trying every different note until he memorized them and figured out how to put them altogether,” she continued. “You could just see in his face how hard his little brain was working.”
Both Jessica and Alec were completely shocked by how quickly their son had learned the tune on his own.
The most rewarding part, they said, was seeing his perseverance. “He kept going even if he didn’t get it right,” Jessica said. “He didn’t let it stop him. Watching him be so proud of himself afterward just makes us so happy as his mom and dad.”
Remi’s clip, posted to his account run by Jessica and Alec (@rockinremi), has been viewed 1.7 million times and received over 238,000 likes.
Hundreds of users have commented, praising the toddler’s talent and determination.
“This is absolutely unreal!” one user wrote.
“Literally a musical prodigy that is amazing!” another commented.
“He’s also very patient and has a high frustration tolerance,” a third user added.
Jessica said they’ve received a ton of positive reactions to the clip: “So many people have expressed how proud they are of him for how far he’s come music and health-wise.
“We’ve always called Remi a ray of sunshine and it’s amazing to see him share his light with everyone and he doesn’t even realize the impact that he’s made on so many others lives already.”
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