There are two really sad things on my mind this afternoon…. the devastating disaster in Japan, which seems to be worsening by the hour….. as well as the death early this morning of our good friend Sharon Johnson, who has battled cancer for the last two years. I just can’t take in all of that heartache, so I’ve switched the TV from CNN to ABC Family to watch a few minutes of “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.” And to push away the sadness still further – at least for a few minutes, I’m going to write about a really heartwarming moment from yesterday’s Solo & Ensemble contest.
In addition to all of the Racine students I played for – plus Emily Koester from Union Grove – I also played for one of Polly’s students at Tremper, a sophomore named Taylor Rice. He was all set to sing in Kenosha’s competition last weekend, until Tremper’s wrestling team ended up qualifying for the team state meet- which was the same weekend. And since Taylor is a mainstay of the team (he has earned second place in the individual state meet the last two years) it was obviously not an option for him to miss the tournament. Fortunately, Polly was able to switch him over to Racine’s Solo & Ensemble competition, which allowed him to do both, and I had the pleasure of playing piano for this fine young man. And by the way, he’s an excellent singer. His voice is both rich and sweet, he has a great deal of natural musicality, and maybe best of all, he sings as though singing is his favorite thing in the world.
When Polly & Co. came to our house for dinner Friday night, she mentioned that she was planning on driving up to Racine to hear Taylor sing, but wanted to surprise him. That Polly would want to take the time to do that the day before she and Mark and Lorelei headed to Florida – in the midst of everything else there was to do – speaks volumes about Polly and her intense devotion to her students. . . although I hasten to add that I certainly know other music teachers just like Polly who wouldn’t think twice about doing the same thing.
So anyway, I was traveling down the hallway Saturday morning in the midst of my one and only (brief) break of the day when I was suddenly flagged down by Taylor himself, who said that his room was running a little bit ahead and that if I was ready, he could sing then and there. I was happy to oblige, but then realized that by singing early it might not be possible for Polly to get there in time to hear him. Thinking quickly (for once in my life) I said that was fine but that first I needed to make a really quick phone call. I found a quiet corner, whipped out my cell phone, and dialed up Polly to find out what her estimated time of arrival was. She answered almost on the first ring, and when I said that Taylor was about to sing his first performance, she said “Shoot! I’m right downstairs! I’ll be right there!” I waited about fifteen more seconds out in the hall before sauntering into the room, and then killed a little more time by pretending to have trouble finding my copy of “The Impossible Dream” in my big canvas bag. (In fact, it was right on top, but Taylor couldn’t see that.) Then I went to the piano and pretended to have trouble getting my music to stay in place. A few moments later, Polly burst into the room- and seeing the wide, surprised grin on Taylor’s face was the single most priceless moment of the day.
Taylor went on to sing fine performances of both “The Impossible Dream” and “Gia’il sole dal Gange” – to the delight both of Polly and of the judge, who gave him a I* score on both solos which sends him on to the state competition. And for me, this was one of the biggest feel-good experience of the day: seeing this brilliant athlete, one of the best wrestlers in the state, given the chance to show this other side of himself, this other talent with which he has been blessed. (And on top of it all, he’s a really nice and appreciative young man.) Getting to play even a small little role in this great stories like this makes me all the more grateful that music is part of my life – and I know that Polly feels the same. This is why we do what we do…. so gifted students like Taylor can do what they do.
pictured above: Taylor, right before he begins his second song. The middle of the three people listening is my sister in law, Polly Amborn, the director of choral activities at Tremper High School.