Every day, students engage in the same lunch activities. Any highschooler knows the routine: you eat, talk with friends, and, of course, dread hearing the bell ring and signal the end of lunch. However, last Wednesday, an ordinary lunch became something special when Hansen Zhang (‘22) broke out his ukelele and started to play in the senior section, getting many people excited. 

Hansen started playing the ukulele four years ago and switched over to the guitar in the past two years. When you add that to his participation in band and AP Music Theory, it’s easy to see how much he loves music. His spontaneous performance caused a wave of  attention and applause from the students around him. 

“It felt great. When you work hard while practicing at home, and are able to make the students feel the same way about the music that you do, it is so cool. It makes me want to continue to practice even more,” said Zhang. 

 

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Shortly after Hansen played his first song, many students had already caught on to the event and circled around him. The audience left money and various gift cards in a hat for him to show their appreciation for Hansen‘s talent, and many couldn’t compliment hime enough.

“I think it was cool that Hansen was being himself and showing everyone his guitar skills. I also think it was great [how] his performance at lunch brought the Amador community together,” commented Mateo Castillo (‘22).

As a musician, Hansen plays his guitar fingerstyle, meaning he performs by not just plucking the strings on his guitar but also through slapping the wood, creating rhythm with his hands, and other improvisations. His unique style of playing made his music even more exciting to watch for spectators.

“Hansen’s performance was very authentic. It took a lot to get up in front of everyone and it really showed his fearlessness. You could tell he was having fun playing in front of people,” said Cortney Fiske (‘22).

Many seniors and juniors who watched this event started to wonder if this would become a regular occurrence at lunch. Students wanted it to continue and were even saddened when lunch was over and Hansen had to put his guitar away. 

“I might play more at lunch in the future. I don’t think it will happen a lot. Although I really enjoy playing in front of people, I also really enjoy practicing and playing at home by myself,” said Hansen Zhang (‘22).

Hansen’s guitar performance brought some happiness to a lot of students’ days and is something many won’t forget. 

“In a time where there is a lot of stress and bad news, I think it is really great for us to have feel-good moments. With it being a spontaneous performance, I think it made it even more fun and interesting for students. It is a happy memory that they can share with their fellow classmates,” said English teacher Stephanie Kamali.