Child prodigy inspired by MLK

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia - Gifts come in all shapes and sizes..

Let's just say 12-year-old Dante Walker opened his early.

"I like playing it makes me happy. I like also playing for other people, I also like making other people happy." said the young musician.

Dante volunteers his time to play at Sentera Martha Jefferson Hospital in Virginia.

Inspired by his big sister who also plays and skills sharpened by teachers suprisingly, one of his biggest inspirations isn't a musician at all.

"If Dr. King hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't be here, because there might still be segregation and i wouldn't be able to go to some schools be with my friends or even come here and have a chance to play for all of these people."

On Monday, Walker will honor the legacy of Dr. King by performing  at Charlottesville's annual MLK celebration.

Still he says there are issues blacks face daily, even referencing the picture he plays next to.

"I see a whole bunch of people, with different jobs but then i see only one colored person, who does nothing more than clean, while everybody else is helping people save their lives."

But even that is motivation

"I think that sitting next to this painting can show that we can achieve more for people who don't think we can do these things, by having them see that we can do it, it can change what they believe in."

Walker says he hopes to be an inspiration for kids like him, but until then, he plays to touch the ears of whoever listens.