Spring Recital

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Speaker 1 welcome to bedtime stories for everyone

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens

Speaker 1 you feel good

Speaker 1 and then you fall asleep

Speaker 1 i'm katherine nicolai i write and read all the stories you'll hear on nothing much happens

Speaker 1 audio engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week. And this week we are giving to the 15 out of 10 foundation, helping shelter dogs with medical needs find forever homes.

Speaker 1 You can learn more about them in our show notes.

Speaker 1 If you're looking for more Nothing Much, We've got that for you. Ad-free, longer and bonus episodes,

Speaker 1 and knowing that for about a dime a day, you are supporting our show and helping us to continue creating. Learn more at the link in our show notes or at nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 here is how this technique works. We need to give your mind something to focus on.

Speaker 1 Nothing too exciting. Nothing that will keep you up.
Hence the title of this show, we're letting you know right from the get-go. Nothing much happening here.

Speaker 1 But just the steady sound of my voice and the soft shape of the tale I've written for you.

Speaker 1 It will be like a lullaby,

Speaker 1 easing your brain out of default mode.

Speaker 1 and into task positive mode,

Speaker 1 where sleep is natural and accessible.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake again later in the night, turn an episode back on,

Speaker 1 and you'll drift off, often within seconds.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight. is called Spring Recital, and it's a story about a piano waiting in the spotlight at the auditorium.

Speaker 1 It's also about lesson books and rows of family and friends listening with pride, obos and biolas,

Speaker 1 a deep breath before the music begins, and the adventure of finding the things you love and that make you who you are.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 snuggle down,

Speaker 1 Get into the most comfortable position you can.

Speaker 1 And let your whole body relax.

Speaker 1 Whatever happened today,

Speaker 1 it's what happened today.

Speaker 1 And now

Speaker 1 you are here.

Speaker 1 Soften your jaw,

Speaker 1 your shoulders.

Speaker 1 Feel everything releasing.

Speaker 1 Draw a deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh from your mouth.

Speaker 1 Nice.

Speaker 1 One more. Fill up

Speaker 1 and let it go.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Spring recital

Speaker 1 He was ready.

Speaker 1 He'd been practicing for weeks and already played every day.

Speaker 1 But these pieces were special,

Speaker 1 and the recital meant a lot to him.

Speaker 1 He'd started playing a few years ago when we came across a used piano at our neighborhood yard sale,

Speaker 1 it was a beautiful upright that had been played lovingly by its previous owner for many decades.

Speaker 1 When she passed away, her husband felt it needed a new owner to keep it in tune and feel the kind touch of a player's fingers.

Speaker 1 When he saw how my little boy looked at the piano,

Speaker 1 how he quietly stood beside it

Speaker 1 and raised the fall board

Speaker 1 and rested his thumb on Middle C,

Speaker 1 the gentleman leaned over and told me that it was ours,

Speaker 1 no payment needed.

Speaker 1 The man had been at each of my son's recitals ever since.

Speaker 1 We'd adopted each other as extended family members and he'd even become a regular at our Thanksgiving dinners.

Speaker 1 He'd been checking in with us this week knowing the recital was today

Speaker 1 to see how the practicing was coming

Speaker 1 if nerves were rattled or calm.

Speaker 1 I think there are always a few butterflies in his stomach when he performs.

Speaker 1 But playing had made him feel confident in general.

Speaker 1 Part of growing up is

Speaker 1 finding out what you love and excel at,

Speaker 1 what slots your brain and heart fit into,

Speaker 1 and music in general,

Speaker 1 and piano specifically,

Speaker 1 had been a big piece of his puzzle.

Speaker 1 He was a quiet kid.

Speaker 1 Noisy, busy places could overwhelm him.

Speaker 1 It was the same with me, so I understood how good it could feel

Speaker 1 to find something that was quiet, unless you asked it to make noise. noise.

Speaker 1 Something you could take at your own pace

Speaker 1 and step away from when you needed a break.

Speaker 1 His brain was good at understanding patterns

Speaker 1 and when he loved something he loved it completely.

Speaker 1 So it was no surprise.

Speaker 1 that he'd become an astute and creative musician.

Speaker 1 He astounded me with his understanding of melody and key changes.

Speaker 1 His ear could find things that mine never could

Speaker 1 and he picked up new pieces at an astonishing rate.

Speaker 1 This year he had more than his own selections to practice.

Speaker 1 This year he'd be accompanying several other students,

Speaker 1 helping them shine as they played their cellos and clarinets.

Speaker 1 I know he took pride in this extra bit of responsibility.

Speaker 1 And if you were nervous about anything, it was for their songs, not his own solo.

Speaker 1 I was thinking of all of this.

Speaker 1 As I pulled up to the back door of the community center.

Speaker 1 He had his lesson books and scores in a bag at his feet.

Speaker 1 And as he sat in the passenger seat beside me, he played an imaginary keyboard on his knees.

Speaker 1 His eyes were open, but unfocused.

Speaker 1 And I knew he was sitting in the performance hall in his mind.

Speaker 1 After a moment, he lifted his hands off the invisible keys and turned his face to me.

Speaker 1 He looked excited, confident,

Speaker 1 and it was such a joy to see those twin sparks in his eyes.

Speaker 1 He gathered up his books,

Speaker 1 took a big breath,

Speaker 1 and opened the car door.

Speaker 1 I waited till he made it inside the building

Speaker 1 and went to find a parking spot.

Speaker 1 When, a little later, I made my way through the front doors of the center and into the auditorium, I saw a small contingent of family and friends already taking up a row of seats and joined them.

Speaker 1 A friend who had given us our piano was sitting beside my own father.

Speaker 1 The two of them had become good friends over the years and were chatting away as they read through the recital program.

Speaker 1 I waved at a few neighbors and parents of other students that I knew.

Speaker 1 The room was perfect for music and theater,

Speaker 1 with high ceilings and a dais of glossy hardwood.

Speaker 1 The seats had come out of the old movie theater,

Speaker 1 but were re-upholstered and comfortable, the kind that flipped up when you stood, with generous armrests and number tags on the edge of the seat.

Speaker 1 As I settled in and picked up a program,

Speaker 1 I remembered the recitals I'd been part of in my own childhood.

Speaker 1 Chilly gymnasiums or stuffy cafeterias with the tables pushed back against the walls,

Speaker 1 folding chairs and too much overhead lighting.

Speaker 1 Standing on a riser with the other altos

Speaker 1 and looking at the lines of the basketball court

Speaker 1 painted on the floor.

Speaker 1 Still, Still,

Speaker 1 they had been thrilling moments for my young heart, and I was thrilled now.

Speaker 1 The auditorium filled up, and the lights dimmed.

Speaker 1 Voices hushed,

Speaker 1 and the shine on the lid of the grand piano that stood center stage

Speaker 1 seemed to glow brighter.

Speaker 1 The first few performances were from this season's first-year students.

Speaker 1 I couldn't believe how small they were,

Speaker 1 their feet swinging from the piano bench as they played their simple but sweet songs.

Speaker 1 Had my own son been that small

Speaker 1 just a few years ago?

Speaker 1 The crowd applauded with affection and indulgence for each piece.

Speaker 1 Then came students with slightly more complicated pieces.

Speaker 1 And even when there were a few wrong notes, we all smiled out at them.

Speaker 1 Proud even

Speaker 1 when they weren't our own children. Because really, they all were.

Speaker 1 A small group of string players stepped onto the stage and my sweet son took his place

Speaker 1 at the piano behind them.

Speaker 1 He'd explained to me that

Speaker 1 when he accompanied others,

Speaker 1 he was there to fill out the sound,

Speaker 1 not to shine.

Speaker 1 He kept the rhythm.

Speaker 1 He grounded the sounds.

Speaker 1 I loved that he understood the value in playing that role.

Speaker 1 I don't know that I would have had the maturity for that when I was his age.

Speaker 1 I watched an oboist

Speaker 1 look to him to begin her piece.

Speaker 1 How he lifted his shoulders to show that he was about to play the first chord.

Speaker 1 Finally, the last group of students began to play.

Speaker 1 These arrangements were more complicated, and I found myself closing my eyes,

Speaker 1 following the notes as they rose and fell in my ears.

Speaker 1 He wasn't the last to play.

Speaker 1 There were still more studied performers who would go after him.

Speaker 1 But when he sat down for his solo,

Speaker 1 it certainly felt like the peak moment of the evening to me.

Speaker 1 I'd heard this piece played from every room in my house,

Speaker 1 when I'd been making dinner or folding laundry,

Speaker 1 when I'd been in the backyard filling the bird feeders,

Speaker 1 and several times when I'd been awoken by it on a Saturday morning.

Speaker 1 But it sounded especially wonderful tonight.

Speaker 1 I didn't worry that he might lose his place.

Speaker 1 So what if he did?

Speaker 1 I just enjoyed the notes and melodies.

Speaker 1 When the final chord sounded,

Speaker 1 there was a beat of silence

Speaker 1 in the large room,

Speaker 1 and I looked down the line of our friends and family to see a dozen faces beaming back at me.

Speaker 1 We began to clap.

Speaker 1 Spring Recital.

Speaker 1 He was ready.

Speaker 1 He'd been practicing for weeks

Speaker 1 and already played every day.

Speaker 1 But these pieces were special.

Speaker 1 The recital meant a lot to him.

Speaker 1 He'd started playing a few years ago

Speaker 1 when we came across a used piano at our neighborhood yard sale.

Speaker 1 It was a beautiful upright

Speaker 1 that had been played lovingly

Speaker 1 by its previous owner

Speaker 1 for many decades.

Speaker 1 When she passed away,

Speaker 1 her husband felt it needed a new owner to keep it in tune

Speaker 1 and feel the kind touch of a player's fingers.

Speaker 1 When he saw how my little boy

Speaker 1 looked at the piano,

Speaker 1 how he quietly stood beside it

Speaker 1 and raised the fall board

Speaker 1 and rested his thumb on Middle C.

Speaker 1 The gentleman leaned over

Speaker 1 and told me

Speaker 1 that it was ours,

Speaker 1 No payment needed.

Speaker 1 That man had been at each of my son's recitals ever since.

Speaker 1 We'd adopted each other

Speaker 1 as extended family members.

Speaker 1 He'd even become a regular at our Thanksgiving dinners.

Speaker 1 And he'd been checking in with us this week,

Speaker 1 knowing the recital was today

Speaker 1 to see

Speaker 1 how the practicing was going,

Speaker 1 if nerves were rattled or calm.

Speaker 1 I think there are always a few butterflies in his stomach when he performs.

Speaker 1 But

Speaker 1 playing had made him more confident in general.

Speaker 1 Part of growing up is finding out what you love

Speaker 1 and excel at

Speaker 1 and which slots your brain and heart fit into

Speaker 1 and music in general

Speaker 1 and piano specifically

Speaker 1 had been a big piece of his puzzle.

Speaker 1 He was a quiet kid.

Speaker 1 Noisy, busy places could overwhelm him.

Speaker 1 It was the same with me.

Speaker 1 So I understood how good it could feel

Speaker 1 to find something that was quiet

Speaker 1 unless you asked it to make noise.

Speaker 1 Something you could take at your own pace

Speaker 1 and step away from when you needed a break.

Speaker 1 His brain was good

Speaker 1 at understanding patterns.

Speaker 1 And when he loved something,

Speaker 1 he loved it completely.

Speaker 1 So it was no surprise that he'd become an astute and creative musician.

Speaker 1 He astounded me

Speaker 1 with his understanding of melody and key changes.

Speaker 1 His ear could find things

Speaker 1 that mine never could.

Speaker 1 He picked up new pieces

Speaker 1 at an astonishing rate.

Speaker 1 This year he had more than his own selections to practice.

Speaker 1 This year he'd be accompanying several other students,

Speaker 1 helping them shine as they played their cellos and clarinets.

Speaker 1 I know he took pride in this extra bit of responsibility.

Speaker 1 And if he was nervous about anything,

Speaker 1 it was for their songs,

Speaker 1 not his own solo.

Speaker 1 I was thinking of all of this

Speaker 1 as I pulled up to the back door of the community center.

Speaker 1 He had his lesson books and scores

Speaker 1 in a bag at his feet,

Speaker 1 and as he sat in the passenger seat beside me,

Speaker 1 he played an imaginary keyboard on his knees.

Speaker 1 His eyes were open, but unfocused.

Speaker 1 And I knew he was sitting in the performance hall in his mind.

Speaker 1 After a moment,

Speaker 1 he lifted his hands off of the invisible keys

Speaker 1 and turned his face to me.

Speaker 1 He looked excited,

Speaker 1 but confident,

Speaker 1 and it was such a joy to see those twin sparks in his eyes.

Speaker 1 He gathered up his books,

Speaker 1 took a big breath,

Speaker 1 and opened the car door.

Speaker 1 I waited till he made it inside the building

Speaker 1 and went to find a parking spot.

Speaker 1 When,

Speaker 1 a little later,

Speaker 1 I made my way

Speaker 1 through the front doors of the center

Speaker 1 and into the auditorium.

Speaker 1 I saw a small contingent

Speaker 1 of family and friends

Speaker 1 already taking up a row of seats

Speaker 1 and joined them.

Speaker 1 Our friend, who had given us our piano,

Speaker 1 was sitting beside my own father.

Speaker 1 The two of them had become good friends over the years

Speaker 1 and were chatting away

Speaker 1 as they read through the recital program.

Speaker 1 I waved at a few neighbors and parents of other students that I knew.

Speaker 1 The room was perfect for music and theater,

Speaker 1 with high ceilings

Speaker 1 and a dais of glossy hardwood.

Speaker 1 The seats had come out of an old movie theater,

Speaker 1 but were reupholstered and comfortable

Speaker 1 the kind that flipped up when you stood

Speaker 1 with generous armrests

Speaker 1 and number tags on the edge of the seat.

Speaker 1 As I settled in

Speaker 1 and picked up a program,

Speaker 1 I remembered the recitals

Speaker 1 I'd been part of in my own childhood.

Speaker 1 chilly gymnasiums

Speaker 1 or stuffy cafeterias

Speaker 1 with the tables pushed back against the walls,

Speaker 1 folding chairs and too much overhead lighting,

Speaker 1 standing on a riser

Speaker 1 with the other altos,

Speaker 1 looking at the lines of the basketball court

Speaker 1 painted on the floor.

Speaker 1 Still,

Speaker 1 they had been thrilling moments

Speaker 1 for my young heart,

Speaker 1 and I was thrilled now

Speaker 1 for those who would perform for us to night.

Speaker 1 The auditorium filled up

Speaker 1 and the lights dimmed.

Speaker 1 Voices hushed

Speaker 1 and the shine on the lid of the grand piano

Speaker 1 that stood center stage

Speaker 1 seemed to glow brighter.

Speaker 1 The first few performances

Speaker 1 were from this season's first-year students,

Speaker 1 and I couldn't believe how small they seemed.

Speaker 1 Their feet

Speaker 1 swinging from the piano bench

Speaker 1 as they played their simple but sweet songs

Speaker 1 Had my own son been that small

Speaker 1 just a few years ago

Speaker 1 The crowd applauded with affection and indulgence

Speaker 1 for each piece

Speaker 1 Then came students with slightly more complicated pieces

Speaker 1 And even

Speaker 1 when there were a few wrong notes,

Speaker 1 we all smiled out at them,

Speaker 1 proud,

Speaker 1 even when they weren't our own children,

Speaker 1 because really

Speaker 1 they all were.

Speaker 1 A small group of string players

Speaker 1 stepped onto the stage

Speaker 1 and my son took his place

Speaker 1 at the piano behind them.

Speaker 1 He'd explained to me

Speaker 1 that when he accompanied others,

Speaker 1 he was there to fill out the sound,

Speaker 1 not to shine.

Speaker 1 He kept the rhythm.

Speaker 1 He grounded the sounds.

Speaker 1 I loved that

Speaker 1 he understood the value in playing that role.

Speaker 1 I don't know that I would have had the maturity for that

Speaker 1 when I was his age.

Speaker 1 I watched an oboeist

Speaker 1 look to him

Speaker 1 to begin her piece.

Speaker 1 How he lifted his shoulders

Speaker 1 to show that he was about to play

Speaker 1 the first chord.

Speaker 1 Finally,

Speaker 1 the last group of students began to play.

Speaker 1 Their arrangements were more complex,

Speaker 1 and I found myself closing my eyes,

Speaker 1 following the notes

Speaker 1 as they rose and fell in my ears.

Speaker 1 He wasn't the last to play.

Speaker 1 There were still more studied performers

Speaker 1 who would go after him.

Speaker 1 But when he sat down for his solo,

Speaker 1 it certainly felt like the peak moment of the evening to me.

Speaker 1 I'd heard this piece played

Speaker 1 from every room in the house

Speaker 1 when I'd been making dinner or folding laundry.

Speaker 1 When I'd been in the backyard filling the bird feeders,

Speaker 1 and several times when I'd been awoken by it

Speaker 1 on a Saturday morning.

Speaker 1 But it sounded especially wonderful tonight.

Speaker 1 I didn't worry that

Speaker 1 he might lose his place.

Speaker 1 So what if he did?

Speaker 1 I just enjoyed the notes and melodies.

Speaker 1 When the final chord sounded,

Speaker 1 there was a beat of silence in the large room.

Speaker 1 And I looked down the line

Speaker 1 of our friends and family

Speaker 1 to see a dozen faces beaming back at me,

Speaker 1 we began to clap.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams