This pint-sized 11-year-old pianist already has a music degree

Child prodigy Curtis Elton has become the youngest person in the world to get a degree in music — and he’s only 11-years-old.

The junior marvel started learning the piano aged three and could read music by the time he was four.

Talented Curtis, known as mini Mozart, was the youngest person in the world to pass a piano exam equivalent to the first year of university when he was nine.

Pint-sized Curtis, who has already starred on Britain’s Got Talent twice, now wants to play over the world as a successful pianist.

He had appeared on the show in 2011 and 2014 but Simon Cowell heartlessly dropped him from later shows despite winning four yesses from the panel.

Curtis was also on Channel 4’s Child Genius programme and has now earned a Licentiate from Trinity College London, the equivalent to a degree.

Home-schooled Curtis, who practices on his own white Yamaha grand piano, said: “I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the exam but when I started playing I wasn’t nervous anymore.

“I practice for about two hours a day but before the exam I probably did more than that to perfect the pieces.”

Curtis’s role models are Liberace, Lang Lang and Elton John — but also admires Manchester United heroes Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

He said: “I used to listen to my mother playing when I was younger and I really enjoyed it.

“The piano is a really musical instrument and it is nice to play. My favourite composer is probably Chopin.”

The first song he learned in full was Yankee Doodle, followed by the Pink Panther theme and then Beethoven’s Ode To Joy.

When he grows up, Curtis says he would like to be a concert pianist and play at the Albert Hall, or possibly become a doctor —  or even Prime Minister.

He added: “Hopefully one day I will play in America. I would like to play all over the world.

“I would like to play at the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Royal Opera House.

“Last year I played in concert in front of 2000 people in Valencia in Spain.

“I had my own police because there was a huge queue of people and I was signing autographs for an hour.”

Proud pianist Mum Hayley, 41, said: “It is an incredible achievement for Curtis. It was hard work, but it was worth it.

“It was like training for a marathon. I was feeding him pasta for energy and making sure he had regular drinks.

“We practiced the programme in sections and then did a few runs of the whole 37 minutes in the weeks before the exam.

“Curtis didn’t practice the night before the exam so he would be fresh for the morning.

“It was a very demanding programme and it was very technical. Some pieces were very fast.

“He loves performing in front of people so that wasn’t a problem.”