Henry Beckman kicked off his senior year at Zionsville Community High School with a special performance.
The electric guitarist played the national anthem at the first home football game of the season.
“I kept it a secret from most people,” he said. “I told a few of my friends and I posted about it on social media about two hours before. A lot of people were really happy. That stage-high feeling is something you want to chase.”
The performance itself was a surprise to many, but not necessarily Beckman’s guitar skills. He’s played piano since the first grade and enjoyed playing the acoustic guitar, but it wasn’t until the seventh grade that things really clicked.
“My birthday was two weeks into the pandemic shutdown and my parents gave me an electric guitar,” he said. “I thought, ‘This would be a great time to figure this out.’ I had a little amp, headphones and an iPad, and played guitar for three or four hours every night. I think it’s the most rewarding thing I ever tried to do.”
By the time Beckman entered his freshman year, he joined a modern band class held at the high school. Then, a senior in the class recommended him to Sam Chenoweth, director of the Zionsville High School show choir.
“I joined the band that plays for the show choir, and since then, music has been the most significant part of my high school life,” Beckman said.
Since then, the young musician has played at several benefit concerts in the community, in spots like The Scoop and the local American Legion. Most recently he appeared in the Music 2 Heal benefit concert at the STAR Bank Performing Arts Center in Zionsville.
Perhaps most notable is his desire to inspire others with his love of music.
“I’ve been teaching guitar for over two years now,” he said. “I currently have 11 students and have taught over 20 in total. I’ve found it fulfilling for me. I never thought teaching would be a career until I started this. I like to see them succeed, and it’s a joy to bestow my knowledge on someone else.”
He also counts himself lucky to be one of the few seniors who knows exactly what he wants to do over the next several years, and he’s keeping his options open.
“I want to go to college for music business and production,” he said. “I’ll continue taking lessons but I don’t see performance as where I’m headed. Art is subjective and if your art doesn’t fall into mainstream, it can be hard to find gigs. The pop music we’ve heard since the mid-2000s is four chords and repetitive. There’s no Van Halen guitar solos, and that’s my jam.”
Still, he imagines playing guitar will be in his life forever, and is planning on positioning himself where the doors are open and opportunities continue to present themselves.
For now, Beckman will continue sharing his gift with as many people as possible, and the Town of Zionsville will benefit.
See Beckman’s work on Instagram @henry.beckman.music.
