Pianist plays healing music for aging rescue elephant
60-year-old Paul Barton has discovered just how much animals enjoy music
Never did we think we’d hear the words ‘piano’ and ‘elephant’ in the same sentence.
But here we are!
Englishman Paul Barton, who now resides in Thailand, has been melting the hearts of the world over on his YouTube channel where he plays the piano for blind animals at Elephant’s World – a home for rescued elephants in Thailand.
His most popular video features him playing Debussy’s Clair de lune for an 80-year-old elephant called Ampan. She is blind in one eye and can barely see with the other.
Paul studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in London as a teenager before pursuing a career as a concert pianist. After some success, he soon realised it was not the life that he wanted.
He travelled to Thailand in the 1990s to teach piano temporarily, which quickly turned into a permanent stay once he met his wife. The pair work together in their art studio in Thailand, whilst Paul also has his own recording studio in Bangkok. He currently gives free online piano tutorials and lessons alongside playing the piano for the elephants over at Elephants World. Paul was also part of Amazon’s 2017 documentary, Music for Elephants.
