The Boy Who Heard Music is a rock opus that began life as an Internet novella written by musician and songwriter Pete Townshend.

Townshend wrote in the foreword to the novella that he typically sketches out his opera in this way to lay out the plots and storylines, but in this case he published the material on an Internet blog site in 2005 and 2006, opening an interactive discussion with readers.

The story covers a period in the life of three children from different ethnic backgrounds who grow up to form a band and develop the "Gridlife" concepts of older musician Ray High (a character who also appeared in Townshend's musical Psychoderelict).

The concert takes place in Central Park with many bands participating in a programmed "Method" which produces individualised music for audience members, all of it combining to make the sound of an ocean.

This particular story also appears to be a continuation of material presented in Psychoderelict, using some of the same characters and extending Townshend's ideas about use and abuse of the Internet as a vehicle for media distribution.

The construction which gives the main characters different backgrounds provides a subtext of religious and ethnic discussion relating to issues of co-operation and conflict in current events.

With the issue of Endless Wire, Townshend opened a website called The Lifehouse Method which makes musical portraits for "sitters" through a software application.

A rough version of The Boy Who Heard Music debuted 13 July 2007 as part of Vassar College's Powerhouse Summer Theater workshop series.

The cast included John Hickok as Ray High, Jon Patrick Walker as Josh, Matt McGrath as Gabriel, and Bree Sharp as Leila.