Two Words

If there is anything in the English language that can describe me and all of my weirdness, it would be two special words: breath taking.

Now, it's not what you think. I don't mean it in a beautiful and desirable way (of course you can think that if you want), I mean it in a literal and blunt way.

I literally am breath taking.

All I do is breathe. In, out. In, out. Playing my instrument takes oxygen. In, then blow out with as much force needed. Breathe in, and then the same thing all over again. Me, being a slightly shy and nervous person, I lose my breathe a lot. One time, when playing a piece with my friend, a trombone instructor came over to teach and I, well, lost my breath. When I stand to solo, I have to close my eyes and tell my lungs to breathe before I bring my horn to my face because I'm so nervous. Anxiety causes me to just forget to breathe, which isn't too bad, except for the fact that I need to breathe to live.

Now, many of you know that when you're excited, your heart beats like 14548434 times a minute, right? Well, let's just say at one point... I was so excited I forgot to breathe.

So do y'all know who the Utah Wind Symphony is? I sure hope you do. The Utah Wind Symphony ensemble had a concert at my school's auditorium, the Eccles Center. The concert was a very special evening for kids in the Park City High School band program. Not only would the Wind Ensemble play, but they would play with the Utah Wind Symphony. Bryan wasn't excited for some reason. He was pretty meh about the whole thing, and I couldn't understand why. Mr. Hughes even gave out special tickets that had the two bands on it. They even felt like real concert tickets!

The concert was just ASDFGHJKL;ZXCVBNM,.QWERTYUIOP to describe my excitement quite accurately. The Wind Ensemble played first, with a few pieces from their last concert. Then the Utah Wind Symphony was on, with a whole range of pieces. The symphony was having their pop concert, which means they were playing well-known pieces like the melody for Saving Private Ryan. It was the absolute best because I didn't know half the tunes when they were named, but I knew them when they were played. After, both the Wind Ensemble and the Utah Wind Symphony played a few pieces together.

If you think I was excited, nope. Nothing compared to when the FREAKING CONDUCTOR CALLED ME OUT OF THE FREAKING AUDIENCE TO GUEST CONDUCT THE FREAKING BANDS!

I conducted on a tune called Stars and Stripes Forever. The conductor, Scott A. Hagen, didn't tell me what time it was in. I tried to figure it out, but I just went with a 2/4 time and stayed with the beat. I hoped for the best, and it kind of worked. Ian gave me a nod of approval and Jake made eye contact with me, so all was well.

My feelings on that night

Courtesy of Srboom

When the conductor called me, he turned and said I looked like I was out of breathe and was going to faint. Bryan told him I was like that a lot. It was a pretty great night. I loved the feeling, the energy, the happiness, the environment. I wish I could have more chances like that to conduct in the future. When I found my seat in the Eccles Center, I ended up sitting in Mr. Taylor's seat, which was the cat's pajamas. Speaking of which, I ended up talking to the conductor after the concert, who asked if I have an interest in teaching. He said that I should be a high school band director because I have the personality for it and that I should be happy with the memories and not worry about the money. Mr. Taylor had something to do with this, I know it.