The Octopus Pianist: The Eccentric Teaching of Music

Swedish YouTube blogger Matthias Krantz made a sensation by teaching an octopus – a representative of cephalopods – to play the piano. At first, Taco, named after Japanese street food takoyaki, showed a negative attitude towards the mini piano, but thanks to an innovative approach – a specially designed keyboard with a moving mini crab – learning became possible. Octopuses with outstanding intelligence (sometimes comparable to the intelligence of a child 4-5 years old) have the ability to learn, distinguish geometric shapes and, as studies show, experience psychological experiences. Matthias used the octopus’ natural curiosity and love of playing to get Taco to master the piano. Despite the progress, learning remained rather a fun game, which did not lead to serious musical achievements, but became a vivid example of unusual cooperation between man and animal. Plans for the further development of this unique teaching methodology have not yet been disclosed.