Albert Lea High School student David Grano has a musical family.

From a young age, he and his family got involved with several different aspects of music, ranging from singing to playing instruments.

And David decided to do a little of everything.

He picked up the trombone, piano, guitar and bass guitar — and of course singing, too.

“It’s fun,” the 10-grader said. “I’ve made a lot of friends just being in choir or band. I just enjoy doing it, too.”

David said it all kind of started when he and his family started singing at Crossroads Evangelical Free Church when he was younger. In seventh grade he started choir and the Blue Skies Show Choir at Southwest Middle School.

He started band in fifth grade in Berlin, Germany, and at Albert Lea High School he’s a part of the ALHS Chorale and a jazz group.

David said he loves jazz band quite a bit, and he doesn’t really have one favorite musical genre over another. He’s not a huge fan of country music, though, he pointed out.

When it comes to the piano, David said he’s “kind of just been playing around” with the instrument since fourth grade. About a year ago, however, he started getting more serious about it. He’s never taken piano lessons and has mostly taught himself.

“It’s been fun to see him develop some of those skills,” said David’s mother, Myriam. “Overall, he’s a very self-taught kind of person. He takes the initiative to teach himself.”

She said she thinks music has been one of her son’s ways to express himself, and she loves listening to him play the piano.

“It’s really enjoyable to listen to,” she said.

Most recently with his singing, David had the lead role in the high school’s one-act play, “The Miser,” which took first place in a competition with Austin, Owatonna and Winona earlier this year. With that he got to practice his skills not only in singing, but in acting, too.

Vocal music teacher Diane Heaney said David is “a joy to have in class.”

“He is smart, polite, curious and a great musician,” Heaney said. “Just the other day, he stopped me in the hallway and asked me if I knew anything about whistle singing. He is always up for a new challenge.”

She said he is involved in all of her extra-curricular groups.

In addition to his love for music and acting, however, David is also heavily involved with soccer, track and his church youth group. The teenager said he doesn’t know yet what he wants to do when he goes to college.

His family includes one younger brother, Joseph, and an older brother, Peter. His parents are Myriam and Gregg.