Yesterday, seated
at a concert my daughter was performing in, I worried that disaster was going
to strike…again. I have not had the best
of luck with my seating choices at these school events.
I have sat in a crowded concert hall, in
front of a poor dear child who, without warning, threw up all over the floor
behind me! My hair was down that day, and if you knew me, you would understand
how worried I was that some "chunks" had landed in my hair.
I have sat in
front of a “bag rustler” lady who, after I politely asked her to stop, started
rustling it more and angrily began mocking me. To the point where I had to move
to avoid conflict. I have sat behind a child who did not turn his tablet off,
creating an annoying glare the entire concert.
So perhaps my
trepidation yesterday can be understood, in light of my experiences. The concert was well underway, with a full
audience, and I was relaxed when I noticed the young boy in front of me holding
a purple PowerAde drink. He’d finished about a third so far. I didn’t really
think anything of it until the Vivaldi came on.
I love the
classical beauty of Vivaldi’s music in general. And The Four Seasons, by
Vivaldi is one of my all time favorite pieces. My daughter’s orchestra was
playing the “Winter” movement. As a first violinist, she was seated on the
outside, so I had the added pleasure of being able to view her as the orchestra
played.
Everytime I listen to
these young players making beautiful music, tears are a given for me. Last night was not different. Our music
program has suffered, as have many in other districts, but the kids persevere,
and our valiant conductors do their best to deliver quality education.
In the midst of my
tears, however, I sat up and took notice.
The whole “Winter” movement is highly rhythmic, and the strings were in
the middle of playing 16th notes. I was enjoying the music, and the
precision of all the bows moving in unison, when I noticed the young boys hands
doing the same thing. He was jiggling his hand back and forth to the time to
the 16th notes! The one holding the PowerAde! I held my breath thinking this could be
another disaster, and hoped the top was secured tightly. I didn’t relish being
sprayed with sugar water!
The repetitive 16th
notes occur several times throughout this movement, and I continued to hold my breath each
time until they were done playing. Phew! The purple drink had stayed in the
container, and disaster was diverted.
Perhaps, just
perhaps, my run of bad luck at concerts is at an end. In the grand scheme of
things, this honestly would have been rather comical – getting sprayed with
Purple PowerAde. And in my book, that’s better than disgusting or malicious!
It is also wonderful that he was trying to mimic the playing! Perhaps a future conductor was sitting in front of you.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby has the best luck! I let him choose where we sit!
ReplyDeleteMusic is such a key component in our schools and needs to be valued. I am so glad you wrote this post celebrating music and thank you for the added humor. I am glad you had better luck this time.
ReplyDeleteGlad your evening was uneventful! Maybe it can be a new trend for you. I miss the band and orchestra concerts that I used to attend when my children were in school.
ReplyDelete