Symphony

“No, it’s a G! It’s a G!” Master Rutherford sighed, waving his hands above his head in frustration. Alejandro immediately stopped playing, paling at the fact that this was the sixth time he was making the mistake in a row.

“It doesn’t sound like a G,” he said in defense, rubbing his hands together. His fingers ached, and no matter how much he played he still seemed to make the same set of mistakes.

“I understand Al, but if you want to get into an orchestra —or let alone jump start your career, you have to play the right keys at least.” Master Rutherford said as he approached the piano Al was seated at.

Al could hear him walking towards him, and the foamy noise that followed when he finally settled down on the stool beside him.

Al rubbed his tired eyes. The messy blend of the colors he was subjected to see daily brought on constant headaches.

“It could be a style,” Ale suggested, biting his bottom lip. He was tired of being told to change a G to a C sharp, or an F to a deep resounding A. What he played didn’t sound so different from the music he was asked to listen to and memorize, sure it was a little raw and improvised -- but it wasn’t bad.

In fact, there was no way he could have gotten into Dansol College of music with horrible music. Dansol had a lot of applicants, and for him to be picked on his first try as part of the thirty approved students out of seven hundred was proof enough he had talent.

He listened attentively as Master Rutherford began to play the notes in a precise and clean manner. Al joined with one hand in-between and they played together to the finish.

“When you listen to the music you’re asked to learn, don’t learn it in a rush. I want you to be able to recite notes in your head, not create last-minute fillers when you play,” Master Rutherford advised, placing his fingers over the keys.

The sound of the saxophonists playing at leisure time just out the window gave the studio fuzzy background music.

“Learn to differentiate between keys. You can’t substitute one for another when you feel like,” Master Rutherford said before pressing a key.

“What key is that?” he asked pressing another. Al scrunched up his brows before muttering a ‘D’.

They continued like that until the bell went for the lecture to be over.

Master Rutherford stood up, walking to the other side of the room.

“I’ll call Esterphina to come and get you.” He informed Al, before picking his phone up from his desk.

Esterphina was Al’s younger sister, the only other De’valia up here in Manchester. She helped him since he couldn’t help himself. Without Ester Al would be stranded in doing basic things like house cleaning and moving about.

Alejandro nodded knowingly, picking at his nails as he listened into the conversation between his teacher and his sister.

“She’ll be here in ten minutes.” Master Rutherford muttered, taking a seat by his desk. The studio was a little old-fashioned, considering the age of the college. The windows were louvered, and the walls weren’t as soundproof as they should be.

Al’s sister was there soon after. He moved to help Al to his feet and arrange his leaving the studio.

“How was your lesson?” she asked, turning to give him a small smile. Her hair was done into a French braid, and her head barely reached up to Al’s chin even in her platforms. He gave her a brief nod, indicating that the lesson had been fine.

Esterphina also attended Dansol, although it took her two tries to get in. She was a clarinet player and still had a long way to go before she graduated.

They passed through the numerous hallways. Ester greeted familiar faces as the marched down the stairs.

She led him to the parking lot and into her car. They settled down before Ester made to play one of Al’s instrumental CDs before starting the car. As Ester drove out of the parking lot, Al hummed along with the instrumental, Identifying every note and paying more attention, as Master Rutherford had asked him to.