Piano, guitar, ukulele. You name it, sophomore Charles Jahn can probably play it.  

Jahn is one of many talented musicians here at Shorewood. And his dedication to music outside of school is what makes him exceptional. Being part of SW orchestra and playing almost every string instrument outside of school has impacted Jahn’s life in a multitude of ways.

Like many talented musicians, Jahn started playing at a young age. He began playing ukulele at 9 years old. Jahn didn’t take music super seriously at first, but after a couple of years he really started to find his passion. His love for music took off and he started learning more and more instruments. 

“I play a variety of instruments, guitar, ukulele, piano, and bass,” he said. He’s now able to play almost any string instrument. 

Jahn started out just learning a few chords on the ukulele, but after getting the hang of it he was able to become talented at many other instruments as well. While learning multiple instruments seems like a very difficult task, Jahn learned them with ease. 

“Once you’ve played enough instruments it’s really nothing new,” he said. “I kind of have that musical talent, so it wasn’t really a struggle.” Jahn has learned to play his various instruments from his father, who is also an avid musician.“My dad introduced me to instruments…my grandfather too,” he said.  

Jahn’s dad and grandfather both play multiple instruments, such as guitar. Jahn’s love of music has helped him connect more with his grandfather, “I don’t see him that much but when I do it’s really meaningful to play together” music is something that really brings Jahn’s family together and he’s very thankful that his father introduced him to music.

Because of his musical connection with his father and grandfather, Jahn wants to have a child one day that he can pass on his love of music to. He hopes that one day he can tell his kids about their great-grandfather’s love of music and how it’s been passed down through the generations. While Jahn would like for his future kid(s) to love music as much as he does, he doesn’t want to make them do it if they don’t want to. “If they’re not into music I’m not gonna force it, that’s the last thing I want to do. It’s supposed to be enjoyable and fun.”

Jahn has other goals for his future as well. He hopes to go to college and “achieve some sort of music degree.” He also has interest in performing his music for others as a career. “Before I was kind of uneasy and nervous [performing], now I just go for it.” He also has dreams of performing music as his full time job, and he hopes to continue to refine his skills. Whether he makes a career out of it or not, Jahn knows music will always have an important role in his life.

Jahn turns to music to make himself feel better. He said, “[Music] keeps me going, especially through the pandemic.” It’s been a hard year for everyone and Jahn has been able to find comfort in his love of music. Jahn feels that music improves him as a person and makes his mood better. He said, “Whether it’s music that I listen to or music that I play, that’s the number one thing I go to to better myself and feel calm”