By Ching Yuen, staff writer
When I was in fifth grade, the school required every student to learn an instrument. Out of the possible options, I chose the flute because it looked elegant and was very portable. That decision turned out to be fantastic for me. Since I already had experience with the recorder, I was able to transfer some of the technique over to the flute. After the first class, I was able to master the mouthpiece; after the second class, I memorized several finger positions. Soon enough, playing the flute became my main talent.
Since my teacher had high expectations of us after each class, I practiced playing the flute vigorously whenever I could. After each practice session, I cleaned up the insides of the flute with a stick and cloth, before putting it back into its case. The whole process of cleaning the flute became part of my daily routine since it was so time consuming for a rather insignificant thing. However, I was not demoralized any bit. I continued my lesson and eventually I learned a few songs and improved my technique.
The highlight of the year was the year end performance. I was assigned to perform a solo in front of the school. Even though I was very confident in my ability, the pressure was still high. I rehearsed repeatedly with the event manager, who played the piano in the background during my practice. Finally, it was the day to perform.
After watching my fellow musicians perform the clarinet and violin from behind the curtain, I walked to the center with my flute in my hand. I glanced at the audience: the auditorium was packed. Sitting two yards away from the platform were all my classmates, waiting for me to begin.
My pianist started playing the beginning gracefully. I held the flute tight to my chin, rounded my lips, and blew into the mouthpiece. A charming tune reverberated through the large room. Somewhere during the performance, my head moved involuntarily and others followed along. I closed out my last note and an uproar of clapping took over. A gush of relief surged over my body, and I left the stage in triumph.
The next year, I went to middle school. I didn’t choose to do band because my interest for the flute started to wane after the performance. I joined the track team and the ping pong club for fun. Ever since fifth grade, I’ve rarely taken out the flute again because I’ve found passion in other activities.
