Ethan Bortnick of Hollywood was just shy of 4 when his parents, Gene and Hannah, noticed him playing tunes by ear on his Elmo keyboard. Soon he had memorized more than 200 songs and was composing music.

Now, Ethan, a recognized child prodigy, has, at the ripe old age of 8, shared a stage with the likes of Beyonce, Santana and Celine Dion. He has performed on Oprah, Good Morning America and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Next year, he will enter third grade.

Child prodigy: What does the term mean, really?

The difference between a prodigy and a child who is gifted is a matter of scope, says David Henry Feldman, a psychologist who has studied prodigies for some 30 years and is credited with defining the term.

''When you're talking about a prodigy, they have potential in one specific area, where a gifted child has a broad spectrum of academic areas in which he can excel,'' says Feldman, a professor of child development at Tufts University in Boston.

Think Wolfgang Mozart in music, Dominique Moceanu in gymnastics or Tiger Woods in golf. A prodigy is defined as someone who has mastered a specific skill at an adult professional level by age 10.

Often, parents push a talented baseball player or gymnast to achieve, dreaming of college scholarships and professional careers. Experts advise stepping back and getting a realistic picture of the child's talent before pushing in any one direction.

Feldman reminds doting moms and dad that while every child has special gifts and talents, not every child is going to make a name for himself with one particular talent -- and that's OK.

Gene Bortnick says he and his wife have tried to let Ethan's natural ability and drive steer his music, an attitude that goes against the grain in the often competitive prodigy world.

''We know it's different from lots of parents who have prodigies, but we refuse to sacrifice his childhood,'' Bortnick says. ``He'll never be 8 again, so we make sure he plays on the playground and gets to be a kid.''

Ethan is not required to practice piano, Bortnick says, so on some days he doesn't play, and on others he may compose a song.

Early on, Ethan participated in -- and won -- a lot of competitions, his father says, but then he came home crying from one. The reason: It bothered him that other parents yelled at their kids when they lost. The result: They haven't entered a competition since.

''We see other parents push their kids and stress them out,'' Bortnick says. ``I believe if a child really does have a special gift it will come out without pushing.''

Feldman offers another perspective. World-renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma recalls that his father required him to practice his music as a child, even when he didn't want to, Feldman says.

''But look at the result,'' says the psychologist. ``You can't let your child do whatever they want because he won't know what he needs to do to cultivate his talent.''

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