Plenty of people take piano or guitar lessons when they’re younger and grow out of the activity after a few years, but sophomore Troy Richardson has been playing his whole life and has no intentions to stop.

Besides taking private lessons for over a decade, Richardson is in wind ensemble, jazz band, the pit orchestra for the upcoming musical, and helps out at his parent’s production company. These commitments don’t leave a lot of room for much other extra-curriculars, but Richardson wouldn’t have it any other way.

He grew up in an exceedingly musically-minded household where his interest in music sparked early and thrived.

“My dad plays guitar, I grew up with him playing all the time and my mom gave private piano lessons throughout the week,” Richard said. “I grew up with a ton of music and was surrounded by the arts. my whole family is involved with the arts. It feels really natural to me.”

His older brother, Jesse, has been a strong influence in how Troy has pursued music.

“My brother is a big role model for me. He plays piano too and is at the California institute of arts studying to be a film scorer,” Richardson said. “He was super into jazz awhile back and introduced me to the whole jazz scene”

What drives him to continue to challenge himself musically, is the tangible sense of success he feels after his performances.

“I really like performing, the thrill of getting up on stage and nailing your piece,” Richardson said. “It feels really good to master a song. It feels like you’ve accomplished something.”

That drive for success percolates to other parts of Richardson’s life too. Music has taught him to take pride in all the work he does.

“Music has made me want to do everything to the best of my abilities,” Richardson said. “I always give 100%, even on homework assignments.”

In the future, Richardson sees himself improving his craft and continuing to do what he loves most.

“I would definitely like to do something in music, like be a performer,” Richardson said. “That would be amazing”