The Burdens of Young Musical Geniuses

Nov. 13, 2005 — -- Samuel Johnson was 13 when his life changed forever.

The young cello prodigy won the Sphinx competition for African-American and Latino string musicians.

"It was completely incredible," Johnson said. "I was competing against people that are coming from big schools, competitive areas. When they said I won, I didn't believe it. You know, I was stunned."

He toured the country, playing sold-out concerts. He had cello lessons with Yo Yo Ma, and met famed musicians Itzhak Perlman and the late Isaac Stern.

And behind every great young talent is usually a very involved parent -- in this case, Gretta Johnson, Samuel's mother.

"I am the one who pushes it," she said.

Samuel is one of nine adopted children in a financially strapped family.

"The whole family had kind of invested all of our time and resources so that he could do what he wanted to do," Gretta said.

Her talented young son seemed to have the world at his feet, but his smile masked deep unhappiness. As Samuel hit his mid-teens, his skyrocketing career didn't seem as fun as the carefree life of his peers.

"The fact that they could just go to school every day and hang out and be on the basketball team and the football team," Samuel said. "Just having a normal every day life -- and I think for me I always wanted that, always longed for that."

Samuel's good looks attracted plenty of girls, and he began to stay out all night. During a critical point in his development, he was leaving the cello behind.

"Adolescence is probably the most critical time," said Dr. David Feldman, a professor of child development at Tufts University. "If the talent can be sustained through that period, the chances are much greater that that child will have the opportunity to continue in that area as a young adult."

Unable to control Samuel's behavior, his parents sent him to a wilderness camp and then to a yearlong boarding school. When Samuel returned, he'd made a momentous decision about his music.