What do pan pipes, an Irish tin whistle, djembe drum, harmonica and accordion have in common?

They are just a few of the instruments played by Joseph Cunningham, a junior from Three Lakes, Wis.

With his close crop of red hair and warm smile, Joseph has a boyish exuberance that radiates from him. His chocolate-colored eyes are intense, his mouth slightly open as he plays Mozart’s “Turkish March” on the accordion.

“Whenever I see a new instrument I want to play, I say, ‘Oh yes, this is the one!’” Joseph said.

Joseph seems to have an aptitude for every instrument he acquires. He grabs his harmonica and immediately plays a combination of “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Oh, Susannah.”

And he doesn’t just play traditional songs.

Nirvana is his next selection; this time on the pan pipes, a wooden instrument from South America that is crafted with about ten tubes of increasing length. It looks difficult to play, but Joseph says otherwise.

“It’s like blowing over the top of a bottle,” he said.

Joseph plays the djembe drum next, a souvenir from a recent trip to Europe.

“I had to carry it home on the plane out of Rome, but it was worth it,” Joseph said, his hands deftly pummeling the drum.

He admits to playing eight instruments, but his passion is the piano.

He sits down and instantly his fingers are bouncing over the smooth ivory keys.

It is like a suspenseful movie waiting to see what song he will incorporate next. He begins with Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” and transitions into the “Theme from Mission: Impossible,” slips into “Flight of the Bumblebee,” moves into music from Pirates of the Caribbean and finishes off with the “Pink Panther.”

Another glance at his piano-playing hands reveals something else: Joseph is missing one finger.

A result of an accident with an exercise bike when he was a baby, Joseph says that it rarely affects his musical abilities.

“The only problem is when I try to play Chopin or something that has large chords,” Joseph said, shrugging. “In those cases, I just eliminate the least important note.”

Joseph enjoys playing his instruments around campus. “It’s a good way to meet people and make friends,” he said.

Playing eight musical instruments might be considered strange, but people certainly do take notice when they hear Phantom of the Opera music mingling with melodies from Mozart and a vibrant young man fingering the keys of an accordion.

His friendly eyes are flashing as he jokes, “If you do something strange, people notice you more.”