Known for his oh-so-unique personality, junior Tommy Schaible finds time between friends, family, and soccer and discovers his hidden talent – piano. 

At first, Schaible felt forced to play piano when his mom signed him up at age 7, but these lessons ended up having a huge impact on his life and opened him up to many new experiences within the music world.  

“Starting to play at such a young age truly impacted my life immensely,” Schaible said. “It introduced me to a lot of new things, such as the opera and the opera introduced me to a whole new level of performing.” 

As a child, Schaible always looked up to his father who is also quite musical. 

“My dad always played instruments in the house. He’d always explain how instruments worked and what you got out of it,” Schaible said.  

Recently, Schaible has increased his dedication to piano. 

“Once I started listening to Billy Joel, I truly became interested in playing. I practiced with some of his songs, became pretty good at it, and eventually began to build off of that,” Schaible said.  “I’d have to say Billy Joel is my biggest influence. He’s the reason why I picked piano back up and actually got determined to get good at it.” 

Schaible’s glad that he chose a hobby that makes him stand out and that he’ll always have room to improve. 

“I love it. It’s such a great way to pass the time and it allows me to express myself,” Schaible said. 

When playing, Schaible becomes more relaxed. Music helps him calm down and clear his mind. 

“It’s actually really relaxing and a good stress reliever. When I’m sad, I play piano and when I’m happy, I play piano,” Schaible said. “It’s a great thing to know. It opens up the mind creatively speaking.” 

Schaible’s skill and love for piano has increased so much that he even began writing his own songs. Schaible’s mood determines the genre of music he’ll play. If he’s relaxed, the song will be slower with good vibes and if he’s hyped and happy, the song will go at a faster pace with higher notes. 

“The process kind of comes naturally. If I sit down and try to make a song, nothing will come out, but if I’m sitting down having a good time, sometimes a melody starts to show up and I just go with it,” Schaible said. 

With such a strong passion for music, Schaible hopes to pursue this hobby and carry piano playing with him through future years.  

“I think about taking my musical ability with me all the time,” Schaible said. “Whether it be as a career or even just something on the side, it’s definitely something I’d be interested in.” 

As he continues to practice, play, and grow, Schaible hopes to share his own creations and style of work with others at some point in his near future.