Julius Lautenschläger definitely hit the right key when he made the decision to come to the United States as a foreign exchange student.

“I chose to be a foreign exchange student in America for the experience and the chance to discover something new,” Lautenschläger said.

Lautenschläger is from Frankfurt, Germany where he lives with his parents and two little brothers, ages 9 and 15.

Students at Northtown know Lautenschläger for his mesmerizing piano skills that send music drifting down the hallways.

“Every day in yearbook, I hear him playing the piano, and I have decided that I want to marry him,” junior Melaina Bixler said.

Lautenschläger played piano for about three years, back when he was in third, fourth, and fifth grade. He stopped playing though because he didn’t like sheet music.

Now, he’s picked his hobby back up, but he now prefers learning the music by listening to others play. The music especially fun to learn if it is popular on the radio, he said.

“I like to learn by ear. David Sides on YouTube plays popular music on the piano, and in the videos, you can tell he doesn’t use sheet music either,” Lautenschläger said.

He can play a wide genre of songs like “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z, “Roses Intro” by Outkast, “Airplanes” by B.o.B, “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles, and “Fix You” by Coldplay.

“Julius’ music pulls me out of class, I enjoy listening and singing along to the songs that I know. Basically, he just makes my heart happy,” senior Lacey Brewer said.

Lautenschläger loves music from the United States, but he also like the movies, the city, and the food-sometimes.

“I came to the United States to enjoy everything it has to offer. All the great music, and great movies, and good, but very fattening food,” Lautenschläger said.

He also came to the United States to pick up on some new hobbies, football being one of those.

“My host family helped encourage me to play football, and I’m glad they did. A lot of my friends are from the football team, and the coaches are cool. But most of all, I like being part of something so big. Football is huge in America, and big at Northtown too. All the students go to the games, and it has just been a fun experience,” Lautenschläger said.

Hornet football coaches said they appreciate having him around as much as he enjoys being around them.

“Julius is quite the character. He always brings a smile to the coaches faces every time he walks in our office,” head football coach Chad Valadez said.

Lautenschläger is having an experience of a lifetime, and the students at Northtown are glad to be able to contribute to his experience.

“I love to hang out with him every weekend. We like the same kind of music, and he’s whacky. I have a good time with him and he’s really rubbed off on me and became my best friend,” senior Jeff Brown said.

Lautenschläger is ready to make a difference in his life, and he is happy it’s all starting at Northtown.

“I love the atmosphere here [at Northtown], it’s fun with a wide variety of kids. I’ve heard that after you live in another country for a year, you come back as a different person, because you mature and learn how to take care of yourself without your parents around,” Lautenschläger said.