“‘ There are no Italian lime trees,’” read Pelagia, while she was riding in the car. Driving the car was her father, and next to him in the passenger seat was her mother. Driving to where? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. Please be patient. Pelagia, who plays the violin, has been intensely practicing a piece of music by Jean Baptiste Senaille, titled Allegro Spiritoso. She had played this piece a couple months before then for an audition. Pelagia worked very hard on this piece, but didn’t play much of it at her audition, so she decided to play it again. Solo and ensemble is an event where students play a solo or in an ensemble in front of a judge. This judge comments on your playing, and rates your solo (or ensemble) with a 1, 2, or 3. Now, Pelagia read her book during the car ride to solo and ensemble, but found that she was focusing more on her nerves.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going,” her mom asked her father, breaking the silence and ruining what she had left of her attention for her book.
“Yes,” Dad replied. “I looked up the directions.”
“Ok, because I have the directions right here if you need them,” Mom said, gesturing to her phone.
Sooner or later, they arrived at Novi High School, right on time. Her dad dropped them off at the door, and went to park.
“I’m so nervous,” Pelagia admitted to her mom.
“For what?” Mom asked.
“There are just a couple spots…” she replied.
They found ourselves standing in a deserted building. After waiting a few minutes in confusion, a woman walked through the door.
“Do you know where solo and ensemble is?” Pelagia and her mom asked her.
“No,” she replied. “It could be in the auditorium,” she added.
“Ok, thank you!”
Pelagia and her mom followed the signs and walked to the auditorium. The hallways twisted and turned through the blank, deserted school. The auditorium was empty. Everything was empty. They asked a few other people that they ran into, but no progress was made. Mom checked her phone again.
“It’s at Novi Middle School,” she exclaimed.
Pelagia followed her mom as they dashed through the halls. After they broke the news to Dad, they drove as fast as they could to the middle school.
Pelagia quickly checked in, and they hurried down the halls with the directions given to them in sight. Waiting in the warm-up room was Pelagia's accompanist.
“We had a mix-up,” they said with a sigh.
Pelagia was able to thoroughly warm-up, even though she got there without enough time. The room attendant said that the other people scheduled after her could go first since they were all warmed up and ready to go.
Before she knew it Pelagia was up next to play her piece. She practiced her piece furiously, trying to play everything correctly. Her nerves made her play at a fast tempo.
“Now, we aren’t going to play at that tempo, are we?" Her accompanist asked. Pelagia realized that she just needed to relax.
The room attendant walked back in, signaling that it was time. Pelagia, along with her accompanist and parents, walked across the hall and into the next room. There to greet her was her orchestra teacher, who happened to be the room’s chairperson. She checked Pelagia’s score, and Pelagia handed it to the judge. She then took her place behind the stand with her music on it, nodded to her accompanist, and put her bow on the string of her violin. She took a deep breath and stared at the music for a moment, setting the tempo in her head. Soon, Allegro Spiritoso came to life as she started playing. Her nerves were shown by her body slightly shaking, along with stiffness in her fingers. This caused a few glitches in her playing, which she tried to shake off and move on. Some hard spots were good, and others could have been better. Luckily, she shifted correctly and played the last chord in tune, which ended the piece on a good note. After she played, the judge made a few comments, both compliments and helpful tips. Pelagia exited the room, knowing that she could have played better. She wasn’t too upset at herself because this was the second time that she had played under these circumstances, and she knew the more she played, the better she would get.
Pelagia’s orchestra teacher came out of the room with a pencil, and walked up the the ratings list.
“How dramatic do you want me to be?” She asked. Pelagia laughed and was eager to know her rating.
“Yay!” They all jumped as she wrote the roman numeral one.
“Great job,” she said. “You were in a really hard room. That judge gave out a lot of two’s,” she added.
Pelagia and her parents walked down to the main entrance, and Pelagia received her gold medal. She immediately called her violin teacher in the car, who was also very excited. They talked about how they were both excited to move forward in her technique, and Pelagia’s teacher even said that the judge she had was a hard one too. Pelagia’s family was very excited about her accomplishment, and so was Pelagia. She realized that even though she could have played better, she still got the top rating. This showed her that she is a good violin player, and with more practice and performances, she could become even better.
“Are you sure you know where you’re going,” her mom asked her father, breaking the silence and ruining what she had left of her attention for her book.
“Yes,” Dad replied. “I looked up the directions.”
“Ok, because I have the directions right here if you need them,” Mom said, gesturing to her phone.
Sooner or later, they arrived at Novi High School, right on time. Her dad dropped them off at the door, and went to park.
“I’m so nervous,” Pelagia admitted to her mom.
“For what?” Mom asked.
“There are just a couple spots…” she replied.
They found ourselves standing in a deserted building. After waiting a few minutes in confusion, a woman walked through the door.
“Do you know where solo and ensemble is?” Pelagia and her mom asked her.
“No,” she replied. “It could be in the auditorium,” she added.
“Ok, thank you!”
Pelagia and her mom followed the signs and walked to the auditorium. The hallways twisted and turned through the blank, deserted school. The auditorium was empty. Everything was empty. They asked a few other people that they ran into, but no progress was made. Mom checked her phone again.
“It’s at Novi Middle School,” she exclaimed.
Pelagia followed her mom as they dashed through the halls. After they broke the news to Dad, they drove as fast as they could to the middle school.
Pelagia quickly checked in, and they hurried down the halls with the directions given to them in sight. Waiting in the warm-up room was Pelagia's accompanist.
“We had a mix-up,” they said with a sigh.
Pelagia was able to thoroughly warm-up, even though she got there without enough time. The room attendant said that the other people scheduled after her could go first since they were all warmed up and ready to go.
Before she knew it Pelagia was up next to play her piece. She practiced her piece furiously, trying to play everything correctly. Her nerves made her play at a fast tempo.
“Now, we aren’t going to play at that tempo, are we?" Her accompanist asked. Pelagia realized that she just needed to relax.
The room attendant walked back in, signaling that it was time. Pelagia, along with her accompanist and parents, walked across the hall and into the next room. There to greet her was her orchestra teacher, who happened to be the room’s chairperson. She checked Pelagia’s score, and Pelagia handed it to the judge. She then took her place behind the stand with her music on it, nodded to her accompanist, and put her bow on the string of her violin. She took a deep breath and stared at the music for a moment, setting the tempo in her head. Soon, Allegro Spiritoso came to life as she started playing. Her nerves were shown by her body slightly shaking, along with stiffness in her fingers. This caused a few glitches in her playing, which she tried to shake off and move on. Some hard spots were good, and others could have been better. Luckily, she shifted correctly and played the last chord in tune, which ended the piece on a good note. After she played, the judge made a few comments, both compliments and helpful tips. Pelagia exited the room, knowing that she could have played better. She wasn’t too upset at herself because this was the second time that she had played under these circumstances, and she knew the more she played, the better she would get.
Pelagia’s orchestra teacher came out of the room with a pencil, and walked up the the ratings list.
“How dramatic do you want me to be?” She asked. Pelagia laughed and was eager to know her rating.
“Yay!” They all jumped as she wrote the roman numeral one.
“Great job,” she said. “You were in a really hard room. That judge gave out a lot of two’s,” she added.
Pelagia and her parents walked down to the main entrance, and Pelagia received her gold medal. She immediately called her violin teacher in the car, who was also very excited. They talked about how they were both excited to move forward in her technique, and Pelagia’s teacher even said that the judge she had was a hard one too. Pelagia’s family was very excited about her accomplishment, and so was Pelagia. She realized that even though she could have played better, she still got the top rating. This showed her that she is a good violin player, and with more practice and performances, she could become even better.