Swaby 1

Felisha Swaby
Professor Juliana Anselmini
English 101-023
13 October 2015
My Winter Solo
It was dark, there were wooden stairs in front of me that lead to the illuminates stage.
Each stair creaked with each step I took and the close I got, the louder the voices in the crowd
became. Just behind the long, draped red velvet curtain to my right was a sea of people waiting
to hear me sing. I stepped forward and around the red curtain directly into a light transfixed on
the center of the large stage. I glanced up to see if I could spot my parents in the crowd but all I
could see was the round, bright ball of the light and the reflective rays streaming from it. The
rays fell onto me from my left side, creating a large ominous shadow beside me.
I walked to the microphone that was step up almost two feet away from where I was
standing. The microphone was a shiny silver with a black smooth-looking stand attached to
it.The stand was too tall almost towering over me actually but when I tried to adjust it I realized
just how nervous I was. My sweat-soak hands slipping off the black dial every time I tried to turn
it. A feeling in my stomach that was null before because intense, I made me very uneasy. I could
feel the minuscule hairs on the back of my neck stand up, a dull shaking in my bones and the
feeling of being completely unbalanced in my feet. I stood there staring into nothingness, rocking
back and forth on the heels on my feet waiting for the music to start. I glanced to my bottom left
and saw my music professor, dressed in all black with a thumb in the air. I took a deep breath and
hear the first three chords of the piano play.

Swaby 2
As I opened my mouth to sing I realized I was doing so four beats too early. I
immediately stopped and took another deep breath, biting on my bottom lip to hide my
embarrassment. Then I heard it, the twelfth chord being struck on the keys and I began to sing. It
felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, the voice that filled my ears could not have
been my own. It was soft, like a satin quilt with gentle highs and very limited lows. What
shocked me was that my voice did not shake, it was steady like the flow of a river. I felt more
confident as I sang and before I knew it I was approaching my last note in the song. I took a quiet
deep breath before belting out what I believed was an impressive ending. Apparently I was right
because the audience erupted into a loud applause.
Feeling more than satisfied with my performance, I quickly scurried of the stage to sit in
the audience. As I waiting for the last few soloist to go I screened the auditorium and finally
spotted my family. My mother was dressed in a blue gown holding a small homemade poster
with Congratulations on your solo! on it. My sister was seated next to her, my nephew in her
lap chewing on his fingers. Lastly, my father, in the next seat with a small smirk on his face as if
he was proud of my performance. I gave them all a shy wave and a big smile feeling like I had
just won a contest.