Phew!

On Saturday, May 14th, Thomas had his auditions for Wind Ensemble (for bassoon) and Flint Youth Symphony (for percussion). A week before the auditions, he was not in the least bit nervous about either because Wind Ensemble is the same group he was in this past year so he was confident he would get in again and, although the Flint Youth Symphony is "the big kids" (16-18 year olds), his percussion teacher assured him his percussion skills are good enough that he would easily get in the group.

Well, let's just say that on the morning of the auditions, this confidence had faded away to a thin whisp of nothing. Then by the time Thomas and I had pulled into the FIM parking lot, Thomas looked like he had had a blood letting. After I had filled out the forms for the auditions (everyone think of the movie "Fame" but without dancers flitting about the hallways) Thomas was on the verge of puking in the hallways. I had to drag him into the "warm up room," sit him in a chair and fan him with his music. He sat there, staring dully, chanting, "I can't do this. I can't do this." I thought about scenes from various Humphrey Bogart movies but I seriously doubt Thomas would say, "Thanks, I needed that," if I gave him a good slapping so I refrained. I tried telling him jokes, self-deprecating stories; I even made fun of the other kids. I told him to run around in the hallways to get his mind off his misery but he just sat there, hyperventilating. Then, about two minutes before his audition, he actually got up and started bolting toward the door! Finally they called his name and it was like watching him walk toward his own execution--the fight went out of him and he allowed himself to be led away. Fifteen or twenty minutes later he came back, red-faced and teary-eyed and said, 'Well, that's that. There's no chance I'll get in Wind Ensemble now." He then had 30 minutes to put on his "game face" to prep for his "sure thing," the percussion audition. Finally, finally they called him for THAT and when that was over, sure enough, he came back from that, red-faced and teary-eyed, miserable because one of the judges had asked him to "play a 3rd." Panic-stricken, he blanked-out and said he didn't know what that was. Later, of course, he realized what it was all about but it was TOO LATE...all too late. Later, as he lay, sobbing on our bed, telling us how much money we had wasted ALL THOSE YEARS on percussion and bassoon lessons for NOTHING because there was NO WAY he was going to get in ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYHOW, he just KNEW IT. There was NO POINT to taking ANYMORE MUSIC LESSONS EVER AGAIN. He was NEVER GOING TO PLAY ANOTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AGAIN...EVER. Do you HEAR ME??? NEVER!!!! And when those letters come in the mail and say, that he did NOT GET IN, do you know what he's going do DO? He's going to LAUGH! THAT'S RIGHT, LAUGH!! and say, "I TOLD YOU I WOULDN'T GET IN!"

Actually, he did go to his percussion and bassoon lessons on Monday, and while there I happened to mention to each of his teachers that Thomas found the auditions "just a bit stressful." (Thomas was hanging up his coat when I said that to his percussion teacher and snorted derisively and said, "I did NOT! Now go on! Rob [his teacher] has more important things to do than listen to your nonsense!") Dean, his bassoon teacher, praised Thomas to the skies for surviving auditions as, apparently, most of his students were too scared to audition this year. Silly, very silly.

ANYWAY: We are glad we made it through that weekend, and we are very glad that Thomas is in those damn groups! (One reason being is that the Flint Youth Symphony has its exchange trip to France next year and Thomas is VERY excited about going there!! Good thing Thomas is keeping up with his French studies--Oui!! Oui!!)