A music school graduate

"do you really think this is going to work?" I asked my best friend, Candice Rothmire, who was sitting on my bed.



"HAILY!!!!" she replied, looking slightly peved that i was asking her the same question- again. "I know its hard to belive but you look HOT! Now stop worring about it and show me the next outfit!!!!



I stole a glance in my new full lenth mirror as i went back to the bathroom to change. When i met a few of the kids in my class for the first time in over a year, they hardly reconised me. A year ago, i looked waaaayyyy different.



Candice and I were headed into our grade 8 year. It would be the first time in a while that i had seen most if our class.

At our school you started instramental music in grade 5. Almost as soon as we learned to play it waas obious that i had a talent for music. Alto Saxaphone was very, very, easy for me. Within 2 months I had learnt to play better that alot of the 7 and 8th graders, and was in senior band, and playing first parts. I missed the seinior band wonderland trip though, because i wasnt "old enough." The next year though i could go and my teacher was so confedent in me that she gave me a solo.



Normaly there was just the ajudacatior(the person who "marked" us.) there,or so i was told, but this year there was a person from a realy important shool there, one of the ones that i had been looking at to posibly go to for highschool if i could get a scholarship. He was here to offer a scholarhip to one grade 8 student with "exeptional musical talent." He listened to us play, along with the other schools that day. I was nervous- if i messed up now, not only would i never get to go to a good music school, it would never be forgotten. When your school only had 200 kids, kindergarten to grade 8, people remembered things that might be better. The junior band played their song. The ajodacator gave us all a few tips to play better and then we started to clean up. While i was packing up i saw the "music dude" talking to my teacher, but i didnt think any thing of it. Why should i?



Then i heard my name being called- it wasnt a voice i reconised, iturned around anyways. There was the "music dude." I shook his hand in a daze. I was the one who was getting the schoolarship, even though i was only in 6th grade- he said some very talented grade 7 & 8s were there alredy. It was june, so i wouldnt be starting untill the fall. I was the one going to one of the best music schools in the country. I didnt go on the rides that day. i Called my parents and along with Mr. Hamish, we set up the details for me to go to the St.Cathrines Music school in the fall. Candice was dissiapointed, i remamberd. Ever sence she had come to our school in graade 3 wa had been inseprable. I spent more time at her house that summer that i ever had before.



And then term started back. I was so scarred I cried for the entire three and a half our drive to Toronto. When i saw toronto, I sobed even harder. we live in a Town were if you looked up on a clouldless day, you wouldnt see anything but blue. For the next 5 weeks, i wouldnt be able to see any, clear, blue, sky. Just the grey, smog filled, polloted air. I made a note to my self that as soon as i could aford it i would be starting a green energy program in the big citys. I of course would be playing my Alto Saxaphone. I was so happy when at the end of the school year my music teacher had given me the practly brand-new instrament. I had an Acustic gitar that my uncle had given me a few years ago. My dad wanted me to learn drums so as a part of m schollarship the school was giving me a brand new set of drums. I also had to take all the other grade 7 stuff, but they didnt foucos too much on that. It wasnt uncommon for us to miss a few classes a week travling to the many preformances that we did. So english(which i loved), math (i could do it in my sleep), History (favorite subject), geography (meh), french(meh), gym (uhhh, why is it necary-like really!), and seince (AAAHHHHHHHH I HATE SIENCE)



Plus for the very first time in my life no one i knew would be around me. Not only that but i would be one of the youngest people there! I practicly got a private teacher, except in music, when all the 7,8's played together. It was a school aimed at high school students, so when you got in during 7 or8 you had to be really good (or have a really rich daddy.)



There was a few other Grade 7 or 8's, but I was still the youngest person there, my birthday being in december. The acuaul high school students didnt want anyting to do with us, so we all hang out togther in the junior music room. Being who we were, we all randomly would start playing a few bars of songs we had heard on the raido. One thing lead to another, and soon we would all be figuring out ways to make the song sound kool. Usualy, one or two more after that too. One day in about October, Mrs. Tash, the srings teacher was walking bythe J.Music room and heard us playing "This afternoon" by Headly (still one of my favorite songs.) We all knew it off the top of our heads even though it was a few years old. She thought we were really good, so after talking to the rest of the teachers, she asked us to play at the rext dinner, which was for thanksgiving. We had these dinners every so often to "exibit our talent" (or show off) They were kinda weird. All of the kids who already went to the school, the teachers, usually a family or two with a kid "like us"-who was incredably talented musicly.



And then there was the talent scouts.They were the people who got their own table, easaly reconisable by expensive suits and clip boards. At least 1 person every month was asked to play in a new music video by these guys.

We were the first group on. 6 of us had said we ould particapate. I got drums, Cody had tennor Saxaphone, Ryan was the guitarist, Sarah was ous lead singer as well as a giutarist, Matthew had mad skills on turn tables, Kyla was a singer a giutarist too. We played 2 songs- Never Too Late by Headly, and the second was the one was what we all got started on- This aftornoon by Headly. When I told Candaice this, she was blown away. If you know the song, you get why. If not well............ let me put it this way. The 11 word is "bong". Our school was all about "artistic expresion". I was nervous about that song because most of the instramental part is drums, and if i messed up, everyone would know.



But now back to the part about me looking different. Even if i did find some fair friends at this school, i missed my old ones like crazy. Alot of time, I skipped supper because joining into conversations wasn't exactly my skills. They didn't aprove of us going to restaraunts alot and we weren't alowed any more than snacks in our rooms so I lost alot of weight. I had been well over 200 pounds, and by the end of the year, i was hardly 150. At my old school, I was always worried about what people thought of me, and so I had pretty bad acne, but when I was at the Music school, i could play whenever i wanted, so that problem went away. I could never findthe right kind of hair stuff to make my thick, frizzy hair to look normal and good. At St.Cathrines,there was people who were paid to take care of that-chose the best shampoo, conditoner, and styling products. AND a profesinal hair styleist came to do our hair.



So, i looked so crazyly different, even Candice and my parents did a dobble take. Over my march break, which happened a week before hers (and the rest of the worlds) because all the junior music students got a 2 month tour of Europe, at the end of which, we played for the Queen of England. Ya, you read right. The. Queen. Of. England. It was going to be insane. And crazy. And awsomely fun.