The Experiment
If I had met Joey and Miss B in different places, I never would have pictured them in the
same room. I sure wouldn?t have pictured them changing each others? lives.
Miss B likes to tell people she?s a gardener. That ends the conversation with the
uninteresting ones, as she puts it. If you aren?t one of those, you might get her to unspool her
full title: Ruth Carol Bartholomew, Founder and Headmistress of Miss B?s Garden of Music for
Budding Talents. And bud they do--we do, actually, me being one of her piano students. Most of
us make it into music programs like Juilliard or Eastman.
And all from a school in Tampa that nobody?s ever even heard of, unless they happen to
be savvy to the local music scene. …show more content…
She?s probably just trying to
fine-tune-?
5
?No, it?s not that. Even I could tell my playing was like crap.?
I didn?t think too much about it, especially because I had a competition coming up, and I
was using all my time practicing and trying not to be a nervous wreck. It was the final round of
the state Pre-College Concerto Competition. The first prize was $2000 cash and a scholarship. I
was playing the Grieg on Saturday with the University Orchestra. It was a huge deal, and all my
family and friends were coming to the Finals.
So my practice session that day went down the tubes. Grieg has those big Nordic sweeps
that have to be just right, and they were just--not. The orchestra rehearsal two days ago had gone
pretty well, but today... Stress. Best to just call it a day.
You can envision the scene Saturday evening at the University concert hall: Four of us
finalists backstage in formalwear, scared shitless, trying to act like we played concertos all the
time in front of people; Miss B and all the faculty out there, students, friends and families; Joey,
fifth row-left of center with his mom and dad; everybody a little …show more content…
She had on one of her smoking
jackets--a bronze-colored one--and a bright yellow scarf that matched her skirt.
He stuffed the paper into his back pocket. ?Show this to you later, Em.?
?Good morning, Joseph. ?Morning, Emma.?
?Morning, Miss B.?
?Joseph, your lesson is at 9:00 today, isn?t it? Might I suggest you use this time to
practice??
No surprise, Joey agreed. He took the stairs two-by-two to the practice rooms, and I
figured he could show me that paper at lunch.
Except later when he reached into his pocket to get it, it wasn?t there.
?Crap! It must?ve fallen out of my pocket. Did you see it anywhere, Em??
?Duh. No, or I would be showing it to you right now.?
?Man, I wonder where it is. It?s the letter from the lab at Tifton. It came up negative--
bupkis, just plain old tea. I don?t get it, they had to?ve missed something.?
?Hm. Weird. Well, I guess that settles that.?
Just then Miss B glided in soundlessly and tapped Joey on the shoulder. She had the
letter in her hand.
?Joseph...I found this on the stairs just after your lesson this morning. I want to see you
and Emma in my studio after class.
If I had met Joey and Miss B in different places, I never would have pictured them in the
same room. I sure wouldn?t have pictured them changing each others? lives.
Miss B likes to tell people she?s a gardener. That ends the conversation with the
uninteresting ones, as she puts it. If you aren?t one of those, you might get her to unspool her
full title: Ruth Carol Bartholomew, Founder and Headmistress of Miss B?s Garden of Music for
Budding Talents. And bud they do--we do, actually, me being one of her piano students. Most of
us make it into music programs like Juilliard or Eastman.
And all from a school in Tampa that nobody?s ever even heard of, unless they happen to
be savvy to the local music scene. …show more content…
She?s probably just trying to
fine-tune-?
5
?No, it?s not that. Even I could tell my playing was like crap.?
I didn?t think too much about it, especially because I had a competition coming up, and I
was using all my time practicing and trying not to be a nervous wreck. It was the final round of
the state Pre-College Concerto Competition. The first prize was $2000 cash and a scholarship. I
was playing the Grieg on Saturday with the University Orchestra. It was a huge deal, and all my
family and friends were coming to the Finals.
So my practice session that day went down the tubes. Grieg has those big Nordic sweeps
that have to be just right, and they were just--not. The orchestra rehearsal two days ago had gone
pretty well, but today... Stress. Best to just call it a day.
You can envision the scene Saturday evening at the University concert hall: Four of us
finalists backstage in formalwear, scared shitless, trying to act like we played concertos all the
time in front of people; Miss B and all the faculty out there, students, friends and families; Joey,
fifth row-left of center with his mom and dad; everybody a little …show more content…
She had on one of her smoking
jackets--a bronze-colored one--and a bright yellow scarf that matched her skirt.
He stuffed the paper into his back pocket. ?Show this to you later, Em.?
?Good morning, Joseph. ?Morning, Emma.?
?Morning, Miss B.?
?Joseph, your lesson is at 9:00 today, isn?t it? Might I suggest you use this time to
practice??
No surprise, Joey agreed. He took the stairs two-by-two to the practice rooms, and I
figured he could show me that paper at lunch.
Except later when he reached into his pocket to get it, it wasn?t there.
?Crap! It must?ve fallen out of my pocket. Did you see it anywhere, Em??
?Duh. No, or I would be showing it to you right now.?
?Man, I wonder where it is. It?s the letter from the lab at Tifton. It came up negative--
bupkis, just plain old tea. I don?t get it, they had to?ve missed something.?
?Hm. Weird. Well, I guess that settles that.?
Just then Miss B glided in soundlessly and tapped Joey on the shoulder. She had the
letter in her hand.
?Joseph...I found this on the stairs just after your lesson this morning. I want to see you
and Emma in my studio after class.