Jersey teenager makes his musical mark in lockdown

A young pianist in Jersey has achieved the highest grade in piano after months of practice during lockdown.

14-year-old Hamish Brodie committed himself to his music through online lessons, going from having never sat a music exam to achieving a distinction in his grade eight piano with his own composition, 'The Butterfly'.

He has achieved in a matter of weeks what others take years to achieve.

Hamish first started playing the piano and writing music when his mother, Fiona, died two years ago. It was an emotional release for him and quickly became his passion. It was only in January he took things to the next level, when he started music lessons at the Jersey Academy of Music, where teachers realised immediately that Hamish had a gift.

He had only managed to have lessons for four weeks when lockdown happened. But rather than resting on his laurels, Hamish continued his lessons online. When he was set the challenge of a grade eight exam just over a month ago, he threw himself into it, practicing as much as eight hours a day.

In the future Hamish would like to do a production or engineering course but ultimately, he would like to become a singer/songwriter and an artist in his own right, producing his own music.

• WATCH: Iselin Jones meets young pianist Hamish Brodie