My husband and I attended our daughter’s eighth grade band concert this past Wednesday. I’d had a pretty busy week, so I had neglected to read what we were in for. It wasn’t actually just her eighth-grade band, it was going to be an all-town concert featuring the musical stylings of the fourth-grade band all the way up to the senior jazz band.
Oof.
We also thought we had gotten to the gym on time for the concert, but, as we entered, we quickly realized that it was going to be standing room only. For 2 hours.
Double oof.
Of course, the band teacher asked all parents to stay for every performance. And that was only right. These kiddos had been practicing their little hearts out for months, and they were so excited for their big performance. The program started with the fourth graders stumbling their way through “Row, Row, Row, Your Boat” and “Frère Jacques.” I closed my eyes and shifted my weight from foot to foot.
Given that my daughter wasn’t going to be playing until 8 songs later, the siren call of my phone and its digital distractions was strong. I did in fact see a ton of parents idly scrolling through their phones, but I also saw so many parents staring rapt at the performance. Many of them were straining their necks to catch a glimpse over the sea of parent heads of their little son or daughter dressed smartly in a white and black dress or wearing a tiny little bow tie.
Of course, the performers tripped and skipped over the notes. But the conductor/teacher had confidence in them, and her pride in their abilities was infectious. As the program moved through the grades, the performances improved, and by the time they got to the eighth-grade band, you could see parents bobbing their heads and tapping their toes to the Disney medley the students played through.
As the program moved to the senior concert band playing epic video game anthems and the senior jazz band hitting all the right notes in their jazz standards, I was moved. All of these students were putting their all into their performances, and I couldn’t help but feel joy in this moment of unbridled sincerity and musical beauty.
It is so easy to get caught up in cynicism and the daily grind. You can feel put out that your time is being intruded upon, but I highly recommend finding some young performers or athletes to watch and witness that joy and enthusiasm. It can’t help but bring you joy.
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