You sit down and start eating with your family on a Friday night at your neighborhood Applebee’s and start to hear a familiar voice at the microphone singing a Madonna song.

But it isn’t your typical wannabe American Idol singer… it is physical education teacher Kauri Martin and your friendly neighborhood volleyball coach.

What you probably didn’t know is that Watkins Mill High School’s own Kauri Martin is actually a self-taught singer and guitar player. “I’ve been singing since I was a kid just for the fun of it,” Martin said.

Martin grew up in a musical family. “My dad is a musician,” Martin said. “He has been in a band for as long as I have known.”

With her busy life, Martin cannot exactly be the Madonna-style pop star that she wants to be.  “If I could jump across the stage like Gwen Stefani or perform like Madonna I would,” Martin said, but she does love karaoke.

She was most influenced by her father and 80s music, and she learned to sing and play guitar at a young age. “[Singing] has to be a hobby,” Martin said.  “But I would like it to be a passion,” and because of these reasons, she has never considered entering a competition or starting a band.

Taking her singing one step further, she sang the National Anthem at last year’s WMHS homecoming game. “I was nervous but I got to check it off my bucket list,” she said.

Even if she can’t join a band due to her busy schedule, that doesn’t stop her from having the occasional jam session with assistant school administrator Steven Orders, who has a band titled Exit 0, in which he plays guitar and sings.  Coincidentally, Orders is self-taught as well.

“[Martin and I] never talked about [making a band together]… she never had the time,” Orders said.

Martin is mostly inspired by her father and the queen of pop herself, Madonna.  “I [also] like Lana Del Rey a lot, but she’s not my favorite artist,” Martin said.  Her favorite “might be Madonna,” whose concert Martin was recently at in the front row.