Peabody professor Amit Peled and his cello class have officially gone viral.
Throughout 2025, teachers across social media have taken part in a trend where they turn their backs and guess which of their students is speaking, or, in Peled's case, which one is warming up on the cello. His video, posted Dec. 7, has already garnered 2.1 million views on Instagram and 1.3 million views on TikTok thanks to Peled's impeccable recognition skills and his ability to correct students' playing without even turning around.
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The video was filmed during Peled's weekly studio class, where his students have a chance to perform what they've been working on in one-on-one lessons.
"A musical instrument is an extension of the voice, and the cello is our tool for expressing who we are," says Peled. "Since I know the students so well—and because music is truly a language for the ears rather than the eyes—all I need to do is listen."
Peled is an internationally acclaimed cellist and composer whose discography includes over 20 CD recordings. He is the founder of the Mount Vernon Virtuosi Music House in East Baltimore, where young musicians receive housing and a stipend in exchange for community performances. And, as of this week, his list of accomplishments includes "viral success."
"I had no idea these kinds of videos were so popular across other fields," says Peled. "I'd only seen a few cello teachers try it, so I thought, why not give it a go with my own personal twist? Only after it went viral did my three teenage kids inform me that this has been 'a thing' on the internet for a while. So here I am, finally becoming a 'cool dad' to my kids and their friends, not for playing many times in Carnegie Hall, but thanks to a viral video."
Posted in Arts+Culture, Student Life
Tagged classical music, social media
