Johnny One Note May 8, 2008

I just returned from the Holy Cross High School Pops Concert.  It was quite impressive indeed.  The musical director is a very talented man who is dedicated to these young (and surprisingly talented) musicians and singers.  The concert was unexpectedly enjoyable, albeit almost 3 hours in length. 

My son is not in the choir (though he has a nice voice) and not in the band (though he plays a mean guitar).  My son (only because he is in the music theory class) is in the hand bell choir.   This evening the hand bell choir played “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  My son had ONE NOTE. 

Yep, 3 hours for ONE NOTE.   It was a good one, I assure you.  The bass bell that ended the song.  But ONE NOTE?   THREE HOURS?   As the song began, I sat alone in the audience and began to giggle.  The music of the hand bells  was magical.  I couldn’t believe how amazing a sound…..but as I stared only at my son’s bell for the entire song, I had tears running down my face.  I must have looked like a lunatic laughing uncontrollably by myself in that chair, afraid to blink or look away for fear my three hour wait would have been for naught.

The things we do for love, eh?  I love him to death and would sit for four hours for that one note, but it was pretty funny.  I was incredibly proud nonetheless, and personally feel that it was the best number of the night.  Of course, without that one note, the song would be incomplete.

The moral of the story?  If you only get to play one note….play it loud and clear.