Closed Practice Makes Perfect! Solo

Interacting with: Mentioning: N/A Date: 03/01/25

Word Count: 1263

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Avery walked into the rehearsal room. Saxophone case in one hand, her bag full of school books and music in the other. She knew she had to practice. Her competition with Silva and Ruth was approaching fast, so what better day to practice than the Saturday before the biggest event of her musical career. Well, it was the biggest to her since she had never really played her saxophone for other people to see. She normally enjoyed playing it whenever she was alone at home where no one could hear her mess up in her attempt to learn something new. She was lucky today. The room was empty. Everyone was either outside and enjoying the nice weather or studying. That, at least, is what Avery thought. She knew the students had other things like clubs, getting into trouble, or just exploring. That was something that Avery loved when she had first arrived. Actually getting a chance to explore. She loved finally having the chance to see the world in another way. A way to finally find something new or something that no one had ever found before. Avery quickly snapped out of her daydream. Remembering where she was and what she had come to do. Make music and make it right. Avery set her book bag and saxophone case down. Walking over to grab a stand before sitting down in a chair. Then she opened the case to her saxophone and smiled. The beautiful instrument shined in the lighting of the Rehearsal Room. Its intricate designs along its bell stood out even more than the rest of the instrument. Avery sighed. She couldn’t believe that she actually owned this instrument. It was a rare treasure that Avery had never lost or forgotten. She loved the instrument too much. It was the one thing that she could still use that both her mother and father had surprised her with. Avery pulled out one of the many reeds littering a small compartment of her case. She carefully took it out of its case and stuck it in her mouth. An interesting flavor that Avery wasn’t sure if she liked or not filled her mouth. Causing her to grimace a little. I guess it’s a new reed. Avery thought to herself. As she waited for the reed to become wet enough to vibrate correctly, She pulled out her neck strap and put it around her neck. Then she pulled out the main part of her saxophone. Carefully maneuvering it so she wouldn’t accidentally damage it from knocking it on the stand. After she hooked the back of the saxophone to the neck strap, she pulled out the gooseneck of her saxophone. Avery carefully placed the gooseneck on the top part of the saxophone. Paying careful attention when lining it up with the bar that opened a small hole for when she would play things in higher octaves than the mid-range notes. Finally, it was time to pull out her mouthpiece and reed. She aligned her reed with the mouthpiece. Taking special care to align it just right. Otherwise, she would end up accidentally squeaking and embarrassing herself, or not able to play at all. Once everything was ready, she finally pulled out her music. Deciding to play Winter’s Stillness first since it was the first song that she saw when she opened her folder. She glanced at her part. Knowing it would sound very confusing at first without Ruth playing piano and Silva singing. She couldn’t wait to hear the song put together. The gentle flow of the music soothing the audience and giving them the best chance to do well when they stepped up to perform at their competition. As a leader, she was very nervous. She was the one that was going to be representing their whole team. If she messed up, then her entire team would look bad. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Not this time. Not ever. She pulled her saxophone’s mouthpiece up to her mouth and bit down. Doing some simple warmups as she tuned herself. Once she was satisfied with her tuning, she turned her full attention to her music. Deciding where she would begin. She decided the best place to start was the beginning. She let the gentle music sweep her away. She was glad that they had chosen this song. It was beautiful and always relaxed Avery after she had a long day. She couldn’t wait to blow the audience away at the competition. She knew this would be the perfect song. It really did emphasize its name with its gentle melody yet it still tells a very important story. Those kinds of songs had always been Avery’s favorites to play. Avery still couldn’t believe that she only had a week left to practice this song and balance her homework. She stopped playing for a moment. Just so she could revel in the beauty of the music one last time. Even though she wasn’t playing. All she could think about was the haunting melody her saxophone brought whenever she played. It almost reminded her of a calm winter night with snow falling softly on the ground with no one there to disturb it. It was. . . peaceful. Something Avery hadn’t experienced in a long time. She yearned for the peaceful times she used to have when she was little. The times where she was able to run free in a place that actually felt like home. But, alas, those times are now only daydreams. Avery sighed and glanced back at her music. Remembering that she should be practicing her other song. She loved the song she was playing more than the other one, but she knew she still had to practice. Regardless of what she thought about the song, she still had to play it for the competition. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the song, but it just didn’t hit home like Winter’s Stillness. That song brought something out in Avery that she hadn’t seen in a long time. Peace and quiet where she didn't have to worry about what she would wear, what homework was due, or how her family was getting along while she wasn’t there. Avery pulled out the other music and began playing it. It also had a great melody, but her mind began to wander. She began to think about what homework she needed to get done after she played. She always liked getting her homework done early, so she could spend the rest of her weekend doing what she wanted. That’s what probably kept her going. The fact that she had everything done, and finally had a chance to breathe. It was a rare occurrence though. Especially during the week when she was constantly pressed with homework. That’s when Avery decided to quit playing her saxophone and finally actually get to work. The effect of the music had left. Leaving Avery feeling the same as she did before. She carefully and gently placed her saxophone in her case. Making sure to latch it. She didn’t want to accidentally not latch it, and end up with the beautiful instrument being damaged from falling. It would probably hurt her a lot more than she would think. Avery shook her head and placed her folder of music back into her book bag before standing up. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her saxophone. Then she walked out of the rehearsal room towards the Gryffindor Common Room where she would finally get something productive done instead of just thinking about it.

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