10-Year-Old Prodigy Who Taught Himself 5 Instruments by Age 4 Is Already Getting Noticed by Music’s Biggest Names (Exclusive)

Toria Sheffield, Jordan GreeneSat, November 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

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Miles Bonham -

Chicago musical prodigy Miles Bonham, 10, taught himself to play five instruments by age 4 and has perfect pitch

The young musician has caught the attention of music stars including Mark Ronson, Zedd and Skrillex

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Miles and his parents discuss his remarkable talent and the importance of letting him enjoy a normal childhood

At just 10 years old, musical prodigy Miles Bonham is already making waves in the music industry. But when he’s not making music, the Chicago native is just a regular kid who loves hanging out with his friends.

Miles, who taught himself to play five instruments by age 4, has already caught the attention of some of the biggest names in the industry, including Mark Ronson, Zedd and Skrillex.

And while his talent has opened doors to extraordinary opportunities, Miles and his parents tell PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that they’re determined to make sure his budding music career doesn’t come at the expense of his childhood.

“I like making music, but I also like doing other stuff like doing lemonade stands with my friends and just hanging out,” Miles says, adding that he also enjoys coding video games and reading.

Miles Bonham in a sound studio

Miles’ passion for music emerged long before he could even pick up an instrument, according to his mother, who recalls that her son’s unusually sophisticated musical tastes became apparent when he was still a baby.

By the time he was a toddler, Miles had developed a particular fondness for Led Zeppelin’s eight-minute rock classic “Stairway to Heaven” — and insisted on hearing the entire thing.

“We could not get out of the car at seven minutes and 55 seconds,” his mother recalls. “It had to be the full eight minutes.”

When Miles was 4, his parents picked up a used student guitar at a local music store that was going out of business. Before long, the youngster had taught himself to play songs by ear, much to his parents’ amazement.

“In the mornings, he would start teaching himself how to play it,” his father recalls. “And I would wake up, and he would be playing things. I’m like, ‘How do you know how to do this?’ ”

His mother adds that Miles was already playing barre chords on the guitar by age 4.

It wasn’t long before they realized their son possessed another extraordinary musical gift: perfect pitch, the ability to identify or reproduce musical notes without a reference tone.

“He used to say things to me like, ‘Mommy, your toothbrush is buzzing in a C half sharp,’ or whatever,” his mother recalls with a laugh.

From there, Miles began teaching himself other instruments, including the piano, ukulele, bass and drums, using his ear to translate what he’d learned on one instrument to another.

Although Miles initially learned music entirely on his own, his parents eventually decided it was time to find him a teacher. That proved surprisingly difficult, as several instructors were reluctant to accept a student so young.

Miles Bonham with music producer Mark Ronson

One music school initially told his mother it didn’t accept guitar students under age 9, and typically preferred to start them at 11. But after she sent videos of Miles playing songs he’d learned by ear, the school quickly changed its tune.

“ ‘Oh my God, when you said your child is into music, usually lots of parents say that,’ ” his mother recalls the school’s representative telling her. “ ‘I’ve never seen anything like this.’ “

Today, Miles plays guitar, piano, bass, drums, ukulele and trumpet, and he has also played saxophone, trombone and violin. He’s developed a passion for producing original music and remixes, often completely reimagining existing songs by keeping only the vocals.

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“I sit at the computer, just messing around on my keyboard, just trying to figure out the chords, like, what I wanna do,” Miles explains about his creative process. “And then whenever I find something, like maybe it’s that one synth preset that I really like ... or maybe it’s a chord progression, I just start building off of it.”

Miles Bonham with musicians Remi Wolf and Zedd

Along the way, Miles has met some of his musical heroes.

“When I was 5, I surprised Mark Ronson on Pharrell [Williams’] podcast,” he tells PEOPLE. “After that, I hung out with Mark Ronson at a studio, which was super cool.”

Miles has also met several other musical artists, including Zedd, whom he describes as one of his favorites, Remi Wolf and Questlove. He also recalls spending time with Skrillex at Lollapalooza in 2024, adding that the producer even let him and his sister, Charlie, sign a guitar that was being auctioned for charity.

Miles Bonham with Questlove

Still, despite his extraordinary accomplishments, Miles says his friends don’t make a big deal out of his musical abilities.

“It’s kind of like, you know, if I had a friend who really loved baseball and they were super good at baseball. And so sometimes they mentioned it, but normally we just hang out. I wouldn’t, like, ask for a complete play-by-play of every single game,” he explains.

And that’s exactly how his parents want it.

His father describes Miles as a prolific songwriter, but emphasizes that there’s never pressure to finish a project or meet a deadline.

“He’s a kid, and he wants to live a kid life, so we very much encourage him to live his kid life, ride his bike around with his friends, do the lemonade stands,” he explains.

His mother echoes that sentiment, saying that while watching Miles’ abilities develop has been “mind-blowing,” raising a child with such an unusual gift also presents challenges.

“We wanna support him, but also we want to balance that with allowing him to be a kid,” she tells PEOPLE.

Above all, she says, what makes her proudest of Miles — and his sister, Charlie — has nothing to do with musical talent.

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“The thing that makes us the most proud of Miles, and actually his sister Charlie, too, are their hearts, because they’re both such sweet kids,” she says, describing her son as empathetic, compassionate and thoughtful about how to treat others.

Although Miles has already expressed interest in pursuing music as an adult, his parents believe that having a well-rounded childhood is essential to his future, both personally and creatively.

“If he can’t be a kid, what is he going to say to the world?” his mother asks.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”