9 Year-old Magnus LaDue is a true genius who enjoys learning both advanced mathematics and advanced music. He also enjoys solving puzzles of all types. As an 8 year-old home-schooled third grader, Magnus completed three semesters of Calculus. He is currently finishing Differential Equations and Linear Algebra, and he is an expert at using the Mathematica scientific computing environment.
On May 7, 2008 Magnus took the Calculus BC Advanced Placement Exam offered by the College Entrance Examination Board. He is the youngest student ever to have taken an Advanced Placement Exam, since these exams normally are taken by the nation's brightest high school juniors and seniors.
On July 14, 2008 we learned that he made the highest possible score of 5, a brilliant and stunning intellectual achievement for an 8 year-old. This means that he is "Extremely Well Qualified" in Calculus, and almost every college in the United States will award him two semesters of credit for it. You can see it for yourself in his student grade report.
Magnus played the piano, and Megan Henderson and Tim Ryan announced his score, on the KDFW FOX 4 Good Day program on July 21. He was also featured by four-time Emmy award winner Tracy Kornet on the KTXA 21 News, First in Prime program on July 24.
Magnus has also studied music theory at the college level for over 3 years. He has completed the texts Tonal Harmony and Counterpoint, and he is currently finishing Harmony and Voice Leading.
Magnus began his musical studies at the age of 5 with Robert Carney, who quickly recognized him as a musical genius. Under Robert's guidance 5 year-old Magnus completed all 12 grades of the Theory Time music theory workbook series in less than 10 months, and Robert discovered that Magnus possesses an astoundingly well-developed sense of perfect pitch. After studying with Robert for just under a year, Magnus studied for almost three years with John Owings, Herndon Professor of Music and Division Chair of Piano Studies in the School of Music at Texas Christian University, who greatly helped him to develop his musical abilities. He then studied for six months with Dr. Carol Leone, Chair of the Keyboard Department in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, and he participated in the Advanced Class in the SMU Piano Preparatory Department. Since November of 2008 Magnus has studied music independently.
In addition to his musical and academic interests, Magnus enjoys bicycling 50 to 60 miles each week on trails in the greater DFW area. He also enjoys swimming, basketball, electronics, sudoku and kakuro puzzles, science and history books, as well as playing with his three cats, Gigi, Mimi, and Garfield.
Magnus will begin Classical Mechanics in the spring of 2009. Within two years he should be ready to begin his Intel Science Talent Search project. His research project will most likely involve Algorithms, a subject in which he shows exceptional creativity.
In February of 2010 Magnus will be taking the AMC 12 exam. His goal is to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to advance year by year through the AIME, the USAMO, the MOSP, and finally to the IMO.
Here is some of Magnus' most recent work in Mathematics:
Magnus has performed many free recitals at retirement homes and community centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area since he was 6 years old.
On October 27, 2007 Magnus won 1st place in Division II (Grades 3 and 4) at the University of Texas at Arlington's the 29th Annual Fall Piano Contest. He played Kabalevsky's Variations in A Minor (Op. 40, No. 2).
On October 25, 2008 Magnus shared 1st place in Division II (Grades 3 and 4) at the University of Texas at Arlington's the 30th Annual Fall Piano Contest. He played Brahms' Capriccio in F# Minor (Op. 76, No. 1).
On April 7, 2009 Magnus won a Gold Medal in the 2009 AADGT International Young Musician Competition. He will play Chopin's Etude in G# Minor (Op. 25, No. 6) at a recital in Merkin Concert Hall in New York City on May 24, 2009.
Here are some of his recent performances that you'll enjoy:
You can see all of Magnus' performances on his MusicDoLove YouTube Channel.
Here are some news items about Magnus:
And if you snoop around a bit, you might even find an old article in the New York Times about his Daddy.
Magnus spends a great deal of time playing sports - bicycling, swimming, and basketball. (Compare 2 hours for Mathematics and 3 hours for Music to 2 and 1/2 hours for sports each weekday.) The fresh air, sunshine, and exercise that he gets outdoors each day make him strong and healthy, and so he has lots of energy for advanced Mathematics and Music.
Here are some of Magnus' favorite bike trails in the Dallas/Fort Worth area:
Magnus has quite a few friends who are also piano prodigies. Some of them are:
One of the most remarkable child prodigies of our time is Kit Armstrong - a superb pianist, composer, avid student of mathematics and science, and master of many languages - who deserves to be much better known. Be sure to watch his sparkling performance of Bach's Italian Concerto in F as well as his other performances from the Miami Piano Festival in March 2008. Magnus hopes to meet Kit someday when he comes to Fort Worth for the Cliburn Competition.
