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Whether it's being played on a CD, spun on a record, broadcasted to your car radio, or streamed on the internet, music is a part of people's lives around the world everyday. With millions upon millions of songs and artists of all different genres being listened to everyday it's clear that people like music. But what does it mean to truly love music? Elizabeth Hurst might have the answer.

Elizabeth Hurst is a senior at Badin High School who remembers the spark that made her realize music was going to be a big part of her life.

“My dad and older brother used to listen to rock music from bands like AC/DC on the radio when I was growing up so I naturally started to like it more and more. Then I started listening to it on my own and realized I wanted to try and play like the bands I listened to like Led Zeppelin and Nirvana”

It was this initial experience of music that ignited Elizabeth’s desire to learn how to play music on the guitar. However, it was a bit of a rocky start for Elizabeth when she first got out of the gates.

“I first started learning to play in my grade school guitar club in second grade. But, we only really learned the same basic chords, making the class just feel really slow. I switched schools for a little bit and during that time I started to improve myself by watching YouTube videos and finding guitar tabs online. When I eventually came back to my old grade school and rejoined the guitar club, my guitar teacher was impressed with how much I had improved.”

With the determination to push through even the slow parts of learning how to play music things began to pick up for Elizabeth as she began to get involved in more advanced guitar lessons.

“I eventually started taking guitar lessons at Mehas Music and my teacher, Jason, got me into playing Led Zeppelin and Van Halen solos. Then, eventually, I came to Badin my freshman year where Mr. McCormick has taught me a lot more skills than any teacher I had like how to play in time and read music.”

However, the genre of music that Elizabeth enjoys learning to play the most comes as no surprise.

“My favorite genre of music is definitely classic rock. It is the genre I grew up with and it helped open my mind to how music is played. I like this genre because it can be really creative and experimental. It's played with real instruments and musicians who are very talented at playing those instruments.”

As a Badin High School senior Elizabeth is involved in the jazz band and the Badin Rocks Ensemble, constantly striving to improve her musical knowledge and skill. With every step forward from her initial start and the will to never give up on it, Elizabeth has proven that anyone can develop a true love for music, it just takes a little spark.