Junior Beth Zuwatsky can be spotted around the halls with her ukulele, which she practices on a weekly basis. Beth was inspired to play the “mini guitar” at age eleven when her family took her to Hawaii, and while on vacation, she watched a show that featured the instrument and remembers thinking how it looked so fascinating.

After convincing her parents to let her take up the art, she bought a ukulele from Rutherford Music Exchange at age thirteen. The instrument cost around $120 with new strings included.

The Becton junior will be performing music to the song “Lava” from the Pixar Animation Studios short film in the upcoming spring concert along with vocals by the school’s show choir.

“I’m very nervous but excited,” she said. She began practicing daily after school for her musical debut since last month, and noted, “I’ve been practicing more than I usually do.”

The high school musician mentioned that “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was the first song she learned when she began playing. “If I get a note wrong, I stress out,” she said, and her favorite song to play is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.

Beth added that she also began playing the flute in fifth grade and took up the trumpet in seventh grade. When asked if she would want to make a career out of playing her instruments, she replied, “I just want to keep them as a hobby.”