Warm, languid color swirls in eddies through the open air, hearts beating as one, breath strong and steady.
Music. Flowing, soft, growing in a grand crescendo that spirals up the melody, climbing up and up and up and up and…
silence.
Not a hair moves. The night buzzes with nothingness. Kids stand motionless, locked in place by the sure, guiding hands of the conductor. Lips glued to mouthpiece. Fingers frozen on keys and–a flick! Baton up!
Just a twitch, and the whole body breathes as one.
Then explodes.
A thousand notes, a thousand living and beautiful strokes of sound painted on the crisp night air, bellowing in an organized cacophony. Pounding drums, bopping trumpets, smooth mellophone, staccato flute, sultry saxophone; it goes on and on and on, lighting up the freezing black.
Does this not feel right? Parents and students tap their toes with a smile, hearts swelling with the music of a life, music that transcends the notes on the page or the brass of a bell. Souls ignite with the glint of metal under floodlights, unite in the joy of a tune played just right. Listen close–let it steal your breath.
The most thrilling sound in the world…
A band.
A symphony.
A masterpiece.
