The Shorter Wait

They sit in room C-2 with brightly colored pinatas hanging over their heads and their trombones by their sides. Some of them look down at the floor while they wait. Others stare blankly forward. They are all inside themselves.

One by one they rise when called to play while the others watch and listen and wait their turns and the judges on the other side of black partitions bend blind ears.

In the hall outside the room, a few parents wait, sometimes standing up to peer thru the narrow slits of window in the doors or to put their ears to the cracks and listen to the scales and etudes. By now, they have heard them many times, and they wonder if they will recognize their own kid when his or her time comes. After today, perhaps the melodies will stop echoing in their heads.

Who has the longer wait, the kids sitting in the room or their parents sitting outside the door? I think I know. I think I got the easy part.

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Regional Middle School Band Competition
Covington Middle School, Austin TX

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