Band Concert

Em's been playing clarinet, and tonight was her big debut.

I was almost late because I didn't realize they were combining grades, so I wasn't prepared to park as far away from the school as I had to. With all the icy spots, it was a dilemma of trying to walk fast but not fall and break my neck.



I ended up seated down front and to the side, and Em is in the back of the band, so I couldn't really see her. I tried some hail Mary shots with my camera, holding it over my had while standing in the aisle to see if I could get her, but it's hard to hold the camera steady enough. The place is too big for a flash to do any good, and too dark for a fast shutter speed, so those shots ended up being just blurry.

After the Fifth Grade went off, the Sixth Grade came in, and I went to find Em. I thought maybe they'd send them out so they could sit in the auditorium for the Sixth Grade band and the choir, but there wouldn't have been enough seats to do that. So they had them all sitting in a band room, under orders to shut up and sit still.



I couldn't figure the angle, why they wanted these kids to sit silently in a room with the doors closed. Eventually, they even ran me and my camera off because I was a distraction.

I couldn't figure it. I can see why letting them lose immediately would create problems of noise in the halls and whatnot, but why can't they at least socialize?



Turns out, they were supposed to be listening to the Sixth Grade band and the choir, but something went wrong with the sound system, so there was nothing being piped in. I don't know if they were continuing to attempt fixing the problem or what, but the kids were clearly bewildered at the demand that they sit there and do precisely nothing.

I had the idea Em was upset. After the spelling bee incident, I wasn't sure if maybe she'd squeaked and was convinced the whole auditorium heard it and knew where it came from or something. But no, she was just trying to sit quietly as her peers earned 'one more warning.'

Mo couldn't sit still for it all, but she did discover the stairs at the high school, and the mezzanine they lead to.