Jack Marston, a Cape Elizabeth High School freshman, will perform at the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 19. Drew Johnson / Sentry

Music has always played a major role in Jack Marston’s life, but it wasn’t until he turned 10 that he determined the guitar was his instrument of choice.

“My piano teacher had a guitar lying around, so I picked it up,” said Marston, who had experience playing bass. “I thought, ‘Four strings is good, but maybe I want more.'”

Four years later, the Cape Elizabeth high school freshman won the third annual Maine High School Student Guitar Competition hosted by the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He will receive the grand prize, a Martin guitar, and perform at the 47th annual Maine Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 19 in Mechanic Falls.

In an interview with the Sentry, Marston said it was his high school band director who encouraged him to enter the competition.

“I just thought, ‘Well, this is a cool opportunity,'” he said. “There were three submissions; one was a technical submission, one was a song in three-four time, like a ballad; and then the other one was soloing over a melody.”

When he heard he won the guitar competition, Jack Marston said the first thing he did was call his parents. “It was just great,” he said. Drew Johnson / Sentry

With his guitar teacher, Lincoln Meyer, Marston selected songs for each of those categories. He then recorded them in his father’s friend’s studio and sent them in. Meyer said he was immediately impressed by Marston’s skills since they started working together a little over a year ago.

“He picked things up really quick, like a sponge,” Meyer said. “I could tell right away that he had it in him.”

Marston was on the couch playing a video game when he got a call saying he had won.

“My sister was right there, and then I immediately called my dad and my mom,” Marston said. “It was just great.”

Ken Brooks, chair of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors and 2011 inductee, said he was impressed by Marston’s skillful execution of difficult tunes, noting “he didn’t pick easy ones.”

“He played very cleanly, and those of us who were judging could see that he understood the instrument quite well,” Brooks told the Sentry. “He was very conscientious about playing it well and he just did a superb job. He had some good competition.”

It is the third year of the competition, an idea developed by a Gray-New Gloucester High School teacher, Brooks said, to not just recognize young country artists but connect them with the roots of the genre.

“We’ve been trying to find a way to involve younger people with what we call ‘classic country music,’ because that music will disappear if we don’t start teaching the younger generation,” Brooks said, who has been performing since 1965.

Marston plays plenty of covers, but also writes original tunes. Some major influences include the Grateful Dead, Doc Watson, B.B. King and Billy Strings, he said. He also plays saxophone for the high school band and jazz band, and still plays piano and bass, too.

Marston said he would like to pursue a career in music. Meyer is excited to see what that looks like.

“I’m really anxious to see what he does with it,” Meyer said. “He’s just a kid, but he loves music. You can tell that it’s a part of him.”

When asked what advice he’d give someone who is looking to learn how to play an instrument, Marston said to stick with what you enjoy listening to.

“Dive into the music you like; if you want to keep this going for the rest of your life, it’s by doing the stuff you like,” he said. “There’s no point if you’re not having fun with it.”

For more information on the Hall of Fame and induction ceremony, go to its Facebook page or call 613-5411.