From Maiden to Manson, from Coheed & Cambria to Alice In Chains, and from Pantera to The Postal Service, sophomore Matt Canright practices on his guitar, affectionately named Jade, day after day to live up to the music legends he reveres.

“I’ve been around music my entire life,” Matt says. “Every family reunion is like a big band. We’ve got about nine guitarists, 10 bassists, some accordion players, and even spoons.”

With such a variety of musical influence in his family, it didn’t take long for Matt to pick up an instrument. Three years ago, his father & brother taught him how to play guitar, and it’s become a way of life for him. Now Matt dedicates nearly all of his spare time to learning new songs.

 “Matt is a great guitarist,” his friend John Thorn, 11, says. “He can just learn to play pretty much anything.”

Man in the Box, Cemetery Gates, Welcome Home and The Beautiful People are just a small sampling of Matt’s ever-growing repertoire of songs that he has mastered. Thanks to his skill, Matt has been offered places in many small local bands, but he tends to follow his own path. In fact, he has written several songs of his own, which he hopes to put on his own album someday.

“It started out as a hobby, but I’d really like to take my music somewhere. For me, music is just a way of expressing yourself, an extension of your body and mind. It’s serious stuff, man.”