The Meandering Mind - Creative Musings of 7th Graders

by Jason Trinklein

  When the evening before the move came, Lucas and I sat on the back steps of my screened-in porch and watched the sunset. “I don’t want to move,” I moaned. “I don’t want you to either,” Lucas whispered. “I will miss you sooooo much! I will never forget you,” I said. He smiled and replied, “Good, I’m glad you won’t forget me.” We both smiled and I rested my head on his shoulder. “Do you think we’ll ever see each other again?” I said starring into the sun. Lucas sighed and said, “I don’t know. We should keep in touch though.” I frowned and looked away. “Yeah, sure we will.” I didn’t think keeping in touch was as good as actually getting to see each other again. We sat there in complete silence for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the waves nearby. While sitting there, I found tears welling up in my eyes. They started to pour down my cheeks and Lucas noticed. I looked at his face and it was full of sorrow and worry. He put his arm around me and whispered, “There, there. It’ll be okay. Everything is going to be fine.” I nodded and dried my tears. Then I heard a quiet cough behind me. We turned our heads to see my mom standing behind us. “Lucas, do you think you could give me and Annabelle a moment?” She said softly. “Sure Miss Blake,” He said and walked inside my house. “Hey there sweetie, how you doing?” She asked. I sighed and the tears started to flow again. “I don’t want to move!” I cried softly like a little child crying, I don’t wanna go! She rubbed and patted my back. “Ssshh, it’s okay dear. Don’t cry. Ssshhh,” She said calmly. I took a deep breath. “It’s just so hard on me.” “I know dear, but I have some good news,” She said with a faint smile. I looked at her confused. “What? What good news?” “Well, I just got off the phone with my manager, and I told her something very important,” She continued. Wait a second… I couldn’t believe it! Could it be…? “I told them I quit my job,” She said with a smile on her face. “You did what? Mom! Does that mean we get to stay?” I said with thoughts racing through my head, I was so excited. My mom grinned even bigger. “Well, eventually yes. But we have to go to North Carolina for one month to get the house I rented settled so that I can get rid of my lease. And so I can work everything out with the people I was going to work with there. Then we will move back here. For good. Just think North Carolina as a little vacation!” I screamed and jumped up from the steps. I hugged my mom. “Finally! I finally get a real home!” I yelled. Then I thought of something even more exciting. I would get to stay here with Lucas. “Lucas!” I yelled, “Get out here!” He came outside with a confused look in his face. “Yes?” He asked. “I get to stay! I’m only going to North Carolina for a month and then I’m moving back here for good!” Lucas gave the biggest smile I had ever seen him have and he gave me a giant hug. My mom smiled and walked back inside. I was so excited at what had just happened in the last two minutes; we didn’t know what to do, so we ran down to the beach laughing the whole way.

  When we got down there we started talking about when I would move back, high school, and more fun things we would have to do. Somewhere in the middle of all the excitement, I got lost in Lucas’s dreamy eyes. I don’t know if I was overwhelmed from everything that had happened just before, but I did something shocking. I kissed Lucas. After I did it he looked shocked, but not disgusted. He just stood there for a second and then smiled. We didn’t say much after that, but we didn’t need to. Lucas grabbed my hand and we walked back to my house feeling happy and content. This is where I belong, I thought. Everyone always says that moving is a great experience. I never had that even though I had moved all my life. However, Florida was different. Florida was my great moving experience.

  The End.

  Meghan McTavish

  Chapter 1: The First Step

  Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to perform. I have always wanted to be in the spotlight, but it wasn’t until second grade that I actually had my first shining star moment. It was the first school talent show that I was in. I was so nervous but anxious at the same time. I was wearing my prettiest dress, and my hair was curled and immovable because of all the hairspray my mom managed to install in my hair. I practically ran up the steps and on to the stage. When the background music started to play, a smile from one ear to the other stretched across my face. I sang You Are My Sunshine. When it was all over and I heard the loud applause, I felt like I was on top of the world. It was then that I realized this was where I was meant to be: on stage.

  Ever since then, I’ve been doing talent shows. After a few more though, I realized school talent shows are only the first step. When I was in fifth grade, I moved to Maryland because of my dad’s job. That was when I wrote my very first song: “Happy Times”. The song was about a girl who was in the same situation as I was. She had to move and make new friends, but when she was all settled, she ended up loving both places very much. Moving to Maryland opened many doors for me. There were so many more opportunities for music. Also, it felt like there were many more topics to write about in songs. This was only one of the doors that had opened up for me, and I walked right through it. I wrote at least three songs every one to two weeks. I still write songs occasionally, but not as often as I use to. I tend to write more songs in the summer because I’m not so busy. During the school year; however, my schoolwork and grades come first. I make school my priority because I want to go to a good school. I want to go to an arts school in New York, but I know I have to be skilled academically also to get into one of those colleges, so that means school first, music second.

  As far as sports go, I’ll play maybe one to three a year, but I’m not really that sporty. Sports aren’t really a major part of my life, so they don’t usually conflict with my music schedule.

  Sometimes, I like to think of my life as a play. I’m the director, so what I want to happen happens, and I have to make it happen. AS a director, I have to listen to other people’s suggestions, but I make the final decision in everything I do. In the same way, when people tell me I need to improve on something, I have to be open to listening to what I can improve on. In the end, though, I decide on how I can improve in any way to make my life the best it can be. And this is only the first step.

  Chapter 2: Getting Better

  I had been working on my voice as much as I possibly could, but I was at a disadvantage. I was only one person with only two ears. Those two ears had to decide if something sounded good or not. Those two ears had to decide if a note was a little flat or straight on. Most importantly, those two ears had to hear the notes I had to repeat. The disadvantage was that I only had myself to tell me if I sounded good.

  When I was in third grade, I started looking for classes to take that included singing, acting, and dancing. I found one at a place called Creative Spark. The class was called “Broadway Troupe.” The teacher of the class was an amazing singer. My mom called her and asked for private lessons. She sounded really busy because she had so many other students asking the same question, but somehow she found a place in her demanding schedule for me. She has taught me so much since then, and we have covered so many songs. My goal was to learn how to sing every genre of music possible.

  Now, I’m in seventh grade still taking voice lessons with the same lady, and I have finally reached my goal. I can now sing pop music, jazz music, RB/soul music, opera, hip hop, and songs from musicals. Even after I have learned to sing all music, there is still more to learn and more to improve on. I still have to learn to exercise my voice in the right ways. I have to improve on my breath control. I have to improve on using my head voice instead of my chest voice. I could go on for forever, but to sum it up: there is always room for improvement. Also, I will never perfect anything if I don’t practice. That old saying, “practice makes perfect,” is applied to everything in life, including singing. If I practice singing, my voice will get stronger and I will develop a vibrato. My vibrato right now is not very strong. It’s heard on some notes but not on others. All of these things will help me get better while on my w
ay to my dream.

  Chapter 3: Just Something Else

 

  How do you stay in tune when you’re singing without music? Sometimes it can be very hard. You don’t always have someone there accompanying you while you’re singing. I decided that I needed to learn how to play an instrument. My parents told me that I can only play one instrument at a time because other people in my family have their own schedules to keep up with as well as mine. Since I had to pick only one instrument, I chose the piano. I’ve heard many people say that if you can play the piano, you can play any instrument. I started taking lessons a little more than two years ago. It sounds so beautiful when you hear the chords and the melody blend together to make a perfect sound.

  Emotions can be released while playing instruments. Usually, you feel what you play and play what you feel. If you’re playing an up-tempo song, you can feel the energy and excitement. If you’re playing a slow, sad song, you’re going to feel the sorrowfulness. Whenever I play a song, it matches the mood I’m in. My emotions are released into the black and white keys. It speaks to you, and it speaks to me.

  Instruments can come off to people as hard and time-consuming. Yes, sometimes it does feel that way. In the long run, though, it does pay off, especially with piano. Playing instruments is something you can do for your whole life. Taking piano makes every other instrument easier to learn because you already know what clefs are, what chords are, and what scales, notes, and time signatures are.

  I recently started learning how to play guitar. I haven’t taken any professional lessons, but my younger brother showed me how to play chords. In guitar, you just have to memorize the strings and frets for each chord. After that, you can play any song. I’ve started writing songs using the guitar now. Usually I only use the piano to write songs, since that was the only instrument I know how to play. Each instrument opens new doors.

  In the future, I hope to learn how to play the drums, saxophone, and the bass guitar. Playing instruments is just something else I can do to improve my music skills.

  Chapter 4: There’s a First for Everything

  Acting is a big part of singing. Your facial expressions, body movements, and the way you pronounce words are all part of acting. When I was little, my cousin and I used to put on plays and skits for our families. When our entire extended family would go to the beach in Maryland for the Forth of July, my cousin and I would perform our newest skit. I’ve taken a number of acting classes that have helped a lot along the way.

  It wasn’t until the summer after fifth grade that I was in a real production called, “Annie”. In the spring I had auditioned. The auditions were nerve-wrecking. I was waiting outside of the audition room, biting my nails so hard that I could have chewed off my fingers. There were so many kids that looked around my age, some older, and some younger. They all looked so professional going over their audition songs, stretching for the audition dance, and going over scenes. It made me feel like I was in way over my head. I was just sitting there waiting to hear my name. Those kids had auditioned for these kinds of plays so many times before this, and I was the newcomer. A lady finally called my name along with about ten other names and beckoned for us to follow her into the audition room. WE walked in while the kids in the previous group who had just auditioned walked out with relieved expressions on their faces. When I walked in, I immediately thought of the show on Fox called “American Idol”. There were three people sitting at a table in the front of the room. They all had clipboards and were sitting there smiling at us. Each person was told to walk up and stand on the big blue “X” mark in the middle of the floor when their name was called. A few names had gone by. Finally, the lady called out, “Meghan Mc….Travis?” I stood up quickly and said, “It’s McTavish,” as politely as I could. They asked me to sing thirty-two bars of any song from a musical. I had prepared the song Colors of the Wind. Whenever I have to sing, I usually choose that song because it showcases my voice the best, and I consider it lucky. The director, who was sitting in the middle at the table of judges, recommended that I sing the chorus. My heart sank when I heard his words. I have always struggled with those high notes, especially when I can’t build up to it by using the verses. I told myself that the show must go on, and if that’s what the director wanted to hear, then I would most definitely try my best. The pianist sitting in the corner played a quick introduction to cue me in. When I heard my voice hit those high notes perfectly, my heart did five somersaults! I was so proud of myself. At last, the worst was over for me, and it had turned out to be great. After all the other kids sang, the choreographer stood up from her chair and walked over to the stereo. She turned on a song from Annie. She showed us three eight-counts, and we followed. The dance was pretty easy and fun, and at the end, I had to do a cartwheel. During the process, I was trying to seem as animated as possible. I wanted to be Annie, of course, and if I really wanted it, I had to let them know that I was worth it.

  As I was walking out of the room when it was over, I heard the director call me back into the room. He asked me why I haven’t auditioned for any of his productions before. I told him that I had just moved there from South Carolina. He grinned and asked me to sing one more song from Annie, Tomorrow. I was so glad that I had memorized the lyrics a while back, and I sang it to the best of my ability. I walked out with a relieved smile and headed straight home. The cast list would be up in about a month.

  When the cast list finally came out, I was truly disappointed. I had not gotten the part of Annie. However, I was glad to have gotten the part of Tessie, an orphan and one of Annie’s best friends. I was also happy to find out that Tessie had a lot of lines through out the play. Like they say, “There are no small parts, only small actors.”

  In the summer, we had rehearsal three hours a day, five days a week, for about a month and a half. It was so much fun, and I met so many friends there. The whole experience was a blast! There’s a first time for everything, and for my first play, I think I did pretty well.

  Chapter 5: Fighting to get discovered

                  I remember watching American Idol when I was younger and thinking, “I should be on this show,” but I knew I was way too young. To be on that show I needed to be at least fifteen. That got me thinking about trying out for the show America’s Got Talent. All ages can audition. I thought it would be awesome to meet the celebrity judges. Little did I know that it took a lot of work, time, and luck to get there.

                  This year, I went to the website of America’s Got Talent. I looked at which cities the auditions would be held in. The only cities being Chicago, Las Angeles, New York City, and Las Vegas, I wasn’t allowed to go. It would cost a lot of money for a plane ticket, and my parents didn’t think it would be worth it to buy a plane ticket for only one or two nights.  A few weeks later, I got an email from the website. It said the auditions would also be held in more cities, one being Atlanta, Georgia. That was only five hours away by car. It was decided that I would be auditioning.

                  Before traveling to Atlanta, I had to do a lot of work. I had to fill out a lot of papers. I had to figure out what day I should audition and which hotel I should stay at. The most important thing I had to do was pick which song I would audition with. I needed a song that would show-case my voice in the best way possible. Like most auditions I have done, I chose the song Colors of the Wind. I chose this song because it’s one of the best songs I can sing. Since I sing it for almost everything, I know all the words by heart. I can sing it with great emotion, too, since I know what the song is about and how I should feel when I’m singing it.

                  The drive down to Atlanta went by incredibly slowly, but I was listening to music to keep me occupied.  When we finally got there, it was about three in the afternoon. My mom and I walked around the city and ate dinner at the Hard Rock Café. We had to
be back by eight because we were going to be waking up very early in the morning. It was first-come-first-serve, so we had to take our place in line before anyone else did. Our hotel room window had a view of the building where the auditions were being held; therefore, I could see the line as well. I set my alarm clock for four o’clock A.M., but when I woke up, my mom wasn’t there. I looked outside, and there she was waiting in line for me in the freezing cold! I quickly got ready and ate a fast breakfast. Then, I ran outside to the line.

  The doors opened at seven, so I had a while to wait. While I was waiting, I met some interesting people. It was more fun than I had thought it would’ve been. When we finally went inside, we went through a lot of security. I went into a waiting room for a long time with other contestants. Finally they called my group’s number. We followed a lady into a room with a panel of three judges. Each person in my group sang a little bit. After everyone was finished, the judges said that we would get a call or email in about a month if we make it through to the next round, but if we didn’t make it, we would not be contacted. This level of the competition was the round before the round when you perform in front of the celebrity judges. I didn’t think I could wait a whole month to hear the results, and it went by pretty slowly. I waited, and waited, and waited, but I never got a call or an email from America’s Got Talent.  

  Chapter 6: More to Come…..

  A month passed by and all hope in my heart was lost. I kept waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting for an answer, but an answer did not come. When people asked if I made it, I decided it was time to accept the fact that I did not make it to the next level of America’s Got Talent.