by Max Davis
The Paducah Sun
January 27, 2026
Used with permission.
Paducah Tilghman High School senior Landon Hinz wants to share his love of music after graduation and create a new legacy by teaching or performing classical music.
Hinz, this week’s Murray State University Teen of the Week, grew up in a musical family. While his family influenced his interest in music, he said he began seriously pursuing that interest when he moved to Paducah Public Schools in the sixth grade.
“My dad is the choir director, and he oversees the music in Paducah Public Schools, and I’ve grown up around him, but also my mom is a pianist, so I was just born into a very musically inclined family,” Hinz explained. “I’ve had the ability to just grow in music, not only at school, in the classroom, but also even when I’m at home, just with my family being there for me.”
Hinz said he finds “a certain kind of comfort” in music.
“I find it calming. I find that there’s music for every type of person...There isn’t a sport for everyone, because not everyone enjoys sports...There’s not books for everyone, because not everybody enjoys reading, but many, many people enjoy music, and there’s a type of and style of music for everyone,” he said.
Hinz said his favorite genres include musical theatre and operatic music, and he plans to become a choral director if he chooses to become a teacher, like his dad. Hinz emphasized that he wants to create his own legacy if he follows that career path.
“My biggest influence when it comes to music is definitely my dad, and...I’ve kind of followed in his footsteps, and I have been called Heinz 2.0 before,” Hinz said. “But the reason I want to do this is kind of an aspect of wanting to create my own system. Instead of, kind of, not necessarily living in a shadow, but just living under the kind of Hinz legacy that there is with music, I want to create my own name in that industry.”
As he considers pursuing a career in education, Hinz said he has witnessed the important role his own teachers have played in students’ growth.
“I want to be there. I want to be that person...who is always there for their students,” he said. “Because I know what music has done for me, and I know that it’s been a great...aspect of my life, and I want to share that greatness that I believe music has.”
Hinz plans to attend Murray State to earn his undergraduate degree. After that, he plans to earn a master’s degree.
“After I graduate from Murray State University, with that degree, I will go on to grad school and get a master’s in performance. I haven’t decided where I want to do that yet, but I will go on to get a master’s in performance and maybe another. I’m not sure what other master’s I’d get, but I’d probably get another degree so that I have the opportunity to come back as a greatly trained and intelligent teacher to help other people.”