Video Of Penn Valley Piano Prodigy's Skills At Thrift Shop Goes Viral

PENN VALLEY (CBS13) — A video of a 14-year-old piano prodigy in Penn Valley has gone viral.

James Shawcross has been perfecting the piano since he was a young boy, and at 14, he's mastered some of the most difficult movements in music, and he can play it all by memory.

"It's not perfect and it's not effortless, but I'm glad to know I make it look easy," he said.

WATCH: James Shawcross video on Fandalism

Now, the high-school freshman from Penn Valley is getting a whole new following after being featured in a Facebook video. He was in a Grass Valley Salvation Army thrift shop when a woman walked by and asked to capture him playing the keys. That video has been seen by more than 278,000 new fans.

"It's really fun to go out there and play for people and get up there on stage and smile and see the audience and all kinds of things," he said.

Shawcross started playing piano when he was just 5, and videos online show how he has progressed and improve with age. At the age of 14, he plays the piano better than most trained adults.

"I like performing and thats what makes the practicing worth it," he said.

And he's not shy about performing. He's also played piano at some local retirement homes.

"Sometimes I'm at a restaurant or a hotel and I'm playing this junky little piano, and they can't tell thats its junky," he said. "They love my playing, and then you know, people start crying—the good kind of crying, and Im glad I made their day."

He hopes to study one day at a musical conservatory with his dreams set on a performance at Carnegie Hall.