STRINGERS

yes another post :D A LONG ONE.

Tomorrow is our last time before we take centre stage. The last time we'll rehearse as an orchestra before we shine as one. Yes we'll give it our best. We're going to go up there, and give it our all. We'll shock the audience, shock the judges, shock Mr Chan. Heck, we're going to shock ourselves.

Not with a whole bunch out-of-tune notes, notes that don't exist in the score, late/early entrances/exits, a plain boring piece of whatever you want to call it.

No.

We're going to show them what we're really made of (not sugar, spice and everything nice). What our music is truly truly made of.

We grasped the fact that yes, we do want that gold with honours. We've proven it to ourselves that we want it, we've proven to our seniors, friends that we want it. We've proven it to the teachers, Mr Chan that we want it.

We're going to prove to the audience that we want it. We're going to prove to the judges that we want it. We're going to prove that we girls, are about as manly as a guy can get.
Yes, we are (albeit a bit weird to say so).

We've come so far. Dragged ourselves back from all those times of disappointment, anger and hopelessness. Even when others gave up on us, we didn't give up on ourselves. We proved our worth to them and we will render them speechless on Wednesday.

The last time we went in, we came out crying. We ended our piece knowing that it was the best we had ever played and string, we are going to feel the same way this time. I know we will.

We'll exchange glances on stage, uncertain, worried, nervous at the beginning. But I know that as our last note rings throughout the hall, we will stand and smile at the audience (smile, not grimace) and walk off stage, unable to contain our tears our joy.

We will walk backstage, laughter and tears all rolled up into one and we will confidently tell our friends praying for us back in school, our teachers, everyone that our music was brilliant, exceptional, excellent, stellar.

In other words, our music was what we wanted it to be.

Forget what others say, forget what our peers achieved, forget expectations placed on us. Because right now, it's only us and our music. Nothing else matters.

When we walk on stage, the hall will be empty, no audience, no judges. Just our dear orchestra, our dear music and our charming conductor and his baton.

My dears, from now on, his baton will be the apple of your eye.

On Wednesday morning, you will be scared. You will tell me you are scared.
Then I'll tell you i'm scared shitless. Sure, it's normal to be scared, afraid, I'm not telling you to lie to yourself and say no I am not scared at all. Nor am i telling you to be really scared with me.

I'm telling you that you're not alone, as cliche as it sounds, we're all in this together. We are an orchestra, we chose this path and we're going to do this together.

Remember eveything single thing Mr Chan, your tutors, your SLs and I told you. Remember them like you would remember how scared you will be, how intimidating the hall is going to get.

I didn't talk my voice hoarse for nothing today.

Remember that.

We're on our 6th lap, and we're not going to flop dead. We're going to go full speed, we're going to give it all we've got. We're going to fight tooth and nail for what we want, what we deserve.

We're going to be one sound, beat with one heart, play with one goal in mind, play with one soul.

Because we are one.

Snstring. This is all my love for you.