A young boy awoke one Christmas morning to find a pleasant surprise under his Christmas tree. The boy was excited to see a brand new guitar unwrapped from the wrapping paper. The excitement on the Will’s face made his parents very happy, as he would play the guitar just like his father.

Revere sophomore Will Mabee, a self-taught guitarist and pianist, first became involved with music at age 7 and he plays his music at his own pace.

Mabee explained how he finds the time to play his instruments between his schooling and his sporting activities.

“Every day when I get home from school or sports, I get cleaned up, and with the few hours I have left I practice the instruments,” Mabee said.

Mabee does not only play pre-written music, he even writes his own pieces of music.

“On guitar I play usually ’80s and ’90s rock, but I also make my own music,” Mabee said.

Colin Hunter, a Revere sophomore, shares Mabee’s taste in music style.

“Will and I play a variety of music. We play mostly classic rock on guitar (Metallica, Black Sabbath, Guns and Roses etc.). When it comes to piano it can be anything to a beat like hip hop or some popular piano song. But I also do electronic and Will is interested in getting into it. My style of music usually can expand as I hear new things or new genres I [have not] heard before and decide to learn them,” Hunter said.

Mabee elaborated on how he got his start in the musical world.

“I started messing around with the instruments when I was about 7 but never really learned how to play chords on the guitar until about a few months ago,” Mabee said.

Mabee’s mother, Teri Mabee, mentioned how Will first got started with his music.

“He would just ask for instruments for Christmas presents and [I would] overhear his music,” Teri said.

Will elaborated on his decision to forego traditional instruction and teach himself.

“I [did not] have the time to go to an instructor and learn note-by-note from someone else and in a place other than my home,” Mabee said.

Teri Mabee mentioned how she regrets not referring Mabee to a music instructor.

“I think an instructor could have introduced new music to Will, but the music he plays sounds beautiful,” Teri said.

Music is a calming escape for Mabee, for it relieves some stress after school and sports practices.

“Music is stress relieving for me, it’s good for expressing myself,” Mabee said.

Mabee continues to play his music throughout the year. While his family and friends support his music interests, Mabee stated that he would like to eventually go into a career in playing music, even though he has not played his music at any venues yet. He said that he would only start a music career after he pursues a career in the armed forces.