Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is the ultimate child prodigy. It is said that Mozart, after attending a service at the Vatican, wrote down an entire sacred piece of music after one hearing. There are countless examples of the amazing feats that Mozart accomplished through his childhood, not to mention his huge compositional output throughout his life. It is interesting to consider Mozart and his upbringing when discussing music and education, since his situation is a prime example of a job well done. Many factors cause certain children to become musicians, but the most important are the intrinsic characteristics of the student and the learning environment in which the student is raised. Obviously, it seems that Mozart and his family hit the jackpot with both of these aspects: nature and nurture. In this article, the author, a student musician majoring in percussion and entering the second year of his Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York City, tells how he started playing drums and how parents and teachers can be helpful to a budding musician.