I wan’t nervous at all. If anything I was excited. I was prepared. I was ready to go on stage. I had my violin ready, my concert uniform, and my skills too.

But there was one thing in my way: I didn’t go.

The concert was on Thursday, Oct. 20. On that day, I was really sick so I didn’t go to school. I was so sick that I didn’t go to school the following day either.

I had a severe sore throat, along with a painful headache, and a terrible cough. My voice was gone too, I sounded like a 89 year-old woman whose been smoking her whole life.

This wasn’t the first time I had to miss a concert because of an illness either. I missed a Veteran’s Day performance in middle school because I was sick that day too.

I remember the first day of Concert Orchestra rehearsals in the auditorium. There were blue and pink lights shining down on me as I sat in the middle of the 2nd violin section and I remember it was extremely hot. There were so many people on stage, so many whispers and murmurs. This was very different than middle school orchestra concerts that take place in the gym or in the cafeteria.

I heard that the concert was good from a few of my friends, but at least I now know what it’s like to be on a stage ready to perform, even if it wasn’t for the real thing.

So yeah, maybe this concert wasn’t going to be my first high school concert, but I am not sick of orchestra. I hope to be at the next one on Thursday, Dec. 8.