You would think that excelling in academics and sports was enough.

But for sophomore Nathan Williams, it’s just not. Williams’s talents exceed the typical American’s standards, involving a flair for all things concerning music.

“I play piano and guitar. I haven’t taken piano lessons since September, so I self-teach myself for now. I print music off the Internet. I also take Music Theory AP, which is interesting,” Williams said. “My mom took some piano lessons when she was a kid, but she doesn’t really remember. My dad took maybe eight years worth, so no, my family isn’t that musical.”

Williams, as of yet, has had considerable difficulty in finding the perfect piano teacher, but he has not let it hold him back in his musical pursuit.

“I started piano in fourth grade. My first teacher was Russian, and I had her for about three years. Then, she took a vacation to Russia and never came back. I took about six months to a year off of piano, and then I had another teacher who lived in San Elijo,” Williams said. “Then, we got a different one, and she’s from Prague. She technically is my teacher, but I haven’t taken lessons since September.”

Williams expresses his hope to continue piano throughout the entirety of his life and has already begun his college exploration. He aims to make music more than just a fleeting passion, but, possibly, into a major.

“Dream college? I think I’d like to go to Stanford. I’ve visited it before because it’s near where my grandparents live, and the city’s is a pretty cool place. It’s like a bunch of hippies, which is pretty funny. But, my parents both went to Berkeley, so that could be a conflict,” Williams said. “Possible majors are biochemistry and maybe applied mathematics. I thought about maybe minoring in music or double major, possibly.”

In terms of his life plan, Williams epitomizes the typical American; although strike up a conversation with this well-rounded genius, and one will discover his not-so-average character.

“My goals in life are to graduate high school, go to college, get a job, make money, get married and have kids…eventually,” Williams said. “I guess that’s very general, but those are my goals.”