Oh, Danny-Boy...

GUESS WHAT I DID.

I didn't blog at the beginning of the school year, but I kind of failed playing Amazing Grace (I played an extra D and Mr.MusicTeacher gave me a 3! I was really proud of that, it was well worth a 1). My composition got a better mark (it was either 1- or 2+), but I was still only on a 6C whereas my target was a 6A. I had to get a really good mark on my last performance to achieve my target.

We all picked different things (no, that's a lie, most people picked Z Cars or Imagine), but I chose Danny-Boy, and I was the only person in my class to choose this piece. I love this song, so I practiced my little phalanges off, and I'd learnt the piece soon. With chords. Yes, I use both hands when playing the keyboard, because this is so unusual...

Anyway, today was performance day. Three people went first out of choice, and then Mr.MusicTeacher took in our files, shuffled them, and then we had to perform. I think about two people went before he called my name, and looked at me (there's two Caitlin's in my class, we're the only two in the year as well). I sighed, took a deep breath, as I shake when I'm nervous (and cold), and began to play. I'd played the first 8 bars (I think it was 8) before he told me to stop. He then said something along the lines of,

"I'm going to ask you to stop there, because most people's songs stop at this point, but yours just keeps going and going, doesn't it?" I smiled and nodded; this was true. He carried on, "What you've played was fluent, it was played beautifully, and it was all the right notes," I held my breath, for as he'd stopped me near the beginning, I was fairly sure he was about to tell me I'd done something terribley wrong and fail me, but he carried on, "if it's okay, I'm going to ask you to leave it there so we have time for other people. But that's a 1." I breathed a sigh of relief; I was perfectly happy with this.

But apparently the rest of the class wasn't. They started demanding I was given a 1*, as, to quote my friend Kathryn "it was the best so far". And so he did, he gave me a 1*, and I haven't failed music.

I've hated music this year, but I've passed, and I never have to do it again. And now if anyone asks me what I can play on the piano/keyboard, I have something to play.

I love you if you've read this far. Take a cookie.

-Caitlin