It was the first day of middle school- the first day of showing that we were all grown up and could handle ourselves. And yet, the thought of having six different classes intimidated me. Then, I got my schedule and realized- I got all the classes I wanted: the core classes of course, then art and BAND. Yes! I was so excited! I had dreamt about being in band for years, but now the dream was coming true.
Knowing that I was, in fact, in band made the school day seem like it had come to a screaming halt. English felt like it took forever... until I got to math class. The day just kept dragging on, then, it was time for band! I practically ran to the end of the hallway where the band room was. "Wow! This place is huge", I thought as I stepped in the door. We all took our seats and then, our new band director introduced himself. He told us that, for the first few weeks of school, we had to learn the basics of music before we could just play an instrument. The whole class groaned simultaneously. And so did I, after all that anticipation. But, then I realized that didn't mind- I would do anything so I would be able to learn how to play an instrument.

As I got settled into my middle school routine, the weeks seemed to go by faster and faster- until, it was the time to play an instrument. My class and I each had to pick three top choices of instruments to play. As I was thinking about what instrument I wanted to play, I thought of it- the saxophone! It combined the flowing sound of the woodwinds with the smooth sound of jazz. Now which did I pick- the smaller, higher pitched alto sax or the larger, lower pitched tenor sax. Since, like most 6th graders, I was quite tiny- I decided to go with the alto saxophone. I didn't even bother writing down the other two choices.

The time came when it was my turn for the band director to decide which instrument would be best for me. So, I walked into the instrument room with him and he sat me down. He placed a shiny, curvy instrument into my hands and just told me to try to make a noise. The reed was hard against my tongue and the mouthpiece was surprisingly cold. I wet my lips, curled them back, drew in a breath and… “HONKKK”. It sounded like an eighteen-wheeler had just blown its horn. My cheeks grew red with embarrassment as I apologized for playing horrendously loud. He just laughed and told me that I had played it just right! He decided I would play the alto saxophone.

Five years later, and I still play the alto saxophone. I lead my school’s saxophone section on the marching field as well as on the concert floor. This all would not be possible without that one moment. The moment that I… played my first note.