Changing Tempos, Obscure Chords, and the Gratification of a Musical Challenge

By 9th grade student Jamie

When I found out we were putting on a musical as the spring play this year, I immediately went to Laura, our music teacher, and asked if I could be in the band for the show. She was hesitant at first, explaining that the music in this production was extremely complicated, but she agreed to give me a shot.
I’ve been playing guitar for five years now, and I am willing to admit that when Laura gave me the sheet music my jaw dropped. The pages were littered with key changes, tempo changes, and long obscure chords that took a long time to figure out how to play. Every time I finished practicing, my hands were on fire. But I kept at it.
I only came to a few rehearsals in the beginning, as the actors were learning their songs, lines, and blocking. As in any early stages of rehearsal, we often had to stop in the middle of a song to clarify what was needed or for Laura to explain who shifts work. (Those tempo changes and obscure chords were tough on the actors, too.) When I came back towards the end of the process to help Laura out, and I was blown away by how much the actors and the entire production had evolved!
The songs were fantastically choreographed, with each student carrying out individualized blocking. The actors stayed in character throughout, belting out the songs while simultaneously capturing the comedic creepiness of each of their unique roles.
When the all-day rehearsal arrived on Good Friday, we were all so excited. I spent the first half of the day with Laura and faculty musicians, Jon and Kevin, as well as the director and violinist, Nomi. In our small group, we played guitar, cello, violin, saxophone, keyboard, and percussion (including a lively cowbell)! We practiced each of the songs that Laura had expertly arranged, and within a few hours we were ready to rehearse with the cast. They came in and we ran each of the numbers. The feeling was simply amazing. It began to feel like a real production. All of the pieces were coming together.
These efforts finally culminated in two performances last Thursday and Friday. Friends, family, and fellow Meridianites all came to witness what we’d been working on over the past three and a half months. I went home the first night proud of my friends and myself for coming so far in such a short amount of time. It truly was an amazing experience to be part of such a magnificent and challenging show with such a talented troupe of people.