Photos: James Duncan Davidson

We’ve seen a number of “the young” of the conference’s theme in this session of TED2013. Now, to play us off out into the night are Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, a trio of brothers from New Jersey, the youngest of whom became a YouTube sensation in 2011 when he was only eight years old. “They’re fantastic musicians, really incredible players,” says TED music advisor Bill Bragin of the three, the oldest of whom even now is only 15 years old. “And there’s something about the interaction of a bluegrass band and the way the fiddle, the banjo, and the guitar intersect because they’re brothers. There’s a real intuitive sense that happens when they’re locked in that really comes across.” The crowd certainly feels it; whoops and hollers round off the end of the rollercoaster first day at TED.

]]> http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/26/sleepy-man-banjo-boys-at-ted2013/feed/ 3 TED2013_0036770_D41_5020 helenwalters TED2013_0036399_D31_0424 TED2013_0036788_D41_5038 TED2013_0036770_D41_5020 http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/26/the-spark-speakers-in-session-3-at-ted2013/ http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/26/the-spark-speakers-in-session-3-at-ted2013/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:50:07 +0000 Helen Walters http://blog.ted.com/?p=69786 ]]> An indefinable quality lies at the heart of any successful idea or project … a spark of intuition, genius or insight that acts as the driver of all later action. Our speakers in this session all possess such a spark, from the educator who’s made it his mission to help high-achieving minority students to a young inventor who figured out a novel and effective way to protect his family’s animals from attacks by lions.

Here are the speakers from this session. Click on their name for a recap of their talk:

Freeman Hrabowski creates opportunities for students of all backgrounds to pursue advanced degrees.

Real life begins at 30? Well, no, says Meg Jay. Her research in her new book shows us why 30 is not the new 20.

TED’s own Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories. Now she tells her own story.

Young inventor Richard Turere invented “lion lights,” an elegant way to protect his family’s cattle from lion attacks.

Announcing the TED Prize Winner, Sugata Mitra, and his bold wish, funded by $1 million from the TED community.

The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys is made up of 10-year-old banjo sensation Jonny Mizzone and his brothers Robbie, 14, on fiddle, and Tommy, 15, on guitar.