Henry Mauser, 9th, Osage High School, (Non-:iction

Henry Mauser, 9th, Osage High School, (Non-fiction)

"My Allstate Experience"

It was an odd feeling. I remember the cool, dense, yet dry air of the massive coliseum. I felt strangely comfortable with the whole thing, I had been to the campus many times before. I was at peace, in my element. Was almost as if some force had taken over. As I traded places with the other accompanist, I sat, and tried not to move too much. My real issue was the evil urge inside me to play when I wasn’t supposed to, I think it was the camera 3 feet away staring into my soul. The dictionary defines tranquility as a state of mind - calm, but I would define it as a punch to the mind, pressure in your chest, and an unexplainable energy that supplies crisp awareness. I believe it’s the single highest stimulus that your consciousness can achieve...

As we were rolling into the campus of Iowa State University, I recalled the previous visits I paid there. This gave me more confidence because I knew the land, almost like a tribal chief. The trip there felt like it was days long because of how vigorously I was studying music to ensure security in my playing. On another note, I was tightly squeezed into the back of an SUV and had no room to move. I still couldn’t imagine what was about to happen during the camp, but thankfully, today was all about auditions for my fellow allstaters in the Scheman building.

building. “I can’t wait to sit and do nothing today,” I complained as we entered the

Mr. Kirkpatric opened the door and said, “Well you still have to help with other people’s auditions.” After all, Ashley was on crutches.

Whenever I used to travel to this part of the campus, I would get so nervous because it all had to do with performing. This time was different, I was old and wise like an owl. I felt calm and collected. It could’ve been associated with my maturity, or the fact that deep down I knew I was ready to shred the piano later. I had been preparing for TWO MONTHS.

The rest of the day consisted of me and the others walking around to audition spaces to help with encouragement, and other logistical things. It was at this point when I could start to settle in and get more comfortable with the idea of staying here for two more days. Speaking of settling in, it was at this time that we unpacked at the hotel and left for dinner.

Pizza Pit had some very good pizza that I aggressively scarfed down while trying to remember not to eat so much.

“I can’t believe I’ve never eaten here before,” I said while finishing my last slice. DING. “Who’s that?” asked Mari. “I don’t know, it says to come to do a tempo check with Dr. Copley.”

“The choir conductor?” “Ya” Mr. Kirkpatrick glared at me, “Well, then we better drop you off quickly.” I had never been so scared in my lifetime. I was about to meet a widely known choir conductor abruptly at 6:30 in the evening. I had done zero playing that day. What if I make a bad impression? What if I didn’t play in the right style? What if...I tried not to worry, I just needed to do my thing.

I entered the room and introduced myself to her, and she told me I would be playing for the solo try-outs. Some kids walked in and we went through the audition process. I thought I was in the clear until she looked me in the eyes and said, “YOUR RUSHING!” This was the worst because I knew I was and knew how to fix it, but was just too nervous to change. There was something off about the whole thing. I remember that night in bed thinking about what went wrong, and what tomorrow would be like. All I knew was that I had to get some sleep.

The next day in CY Stephens Auditorium, I met the other accompanist, Julia. She was really nice and made me feel better about what had happened the night before. She admitted that she too had been slightly scared of Copley as well. We sat down as the choir filed in, all 6 million of ‘em. We began giving pitches and playing. It wasn’t so bad after all, but I could tell there was still something going on. On another note, I had forgotten what a choir of this size sounded like. Man, it sounded like heaven above heaven, it was an amazing experience.

After lunch we made our way back to CY Stevens. The other reason I really enjoyed rehearsals was because we got to meet the composers of some of the pieces. It was really interesting how they interpreted their own creations and explored the possibilities of literature.

The next day we went to rehearsal once again and refined our work. Dr. Copley was very good at involving the choir in a way that helped them remember things. Again, there was still something fishy going on between us, I just couldn’t put a finger on it. Thankfully I didn’t have to, a random exhilarated choir kid asked Copley in front of everyone: “What’s your beef with Henry? At this point it felt like my organs

weren’t functioning as I digested the comment, and as others in the crowd started reluctantly agreeing with the statement. Dr. Copley looked clearly confused by what had been sayed. She was trying her hardest to recover from her unlikely fate, but let's be honest, she just fell into a dark, cold, loyalty raveene. This whole time I thought I was delirious, delusional, distracted. I thought it was my mind being silly again, but no. How could Iowans from around the state all come to the conclusion that something strange was going on, and have the guts to outright yell it to the protagonist!? This is the most backup I’ve ever gotten in my life.

After that crazy order of events, we traveled back to the hotel to reset and get dressed for the concert. This was when I started to get nervous, thankfully we got Jimmy Johns. I was pretty much set. So as we hopped into the SUV, I felt ready to perform.

Mr. Kirkpatrick set the ground rules: “The plan is to meet everyone at the hotel after the concert because it will get crazy busy in the coliseum.”

“He’s right,” added Mari as she hopped out, “Been there, done that.”

The coliseum had many people sitting down when we arrived, and the cameras were there. I had never been filmed that close before, but I was ready to accept the challenge. As I walked up to the piano, I saw Juila and a piano tuner. He was tuning very fast for a fresh sound before the concert. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this with Iowa’s best highschool musicians. It was time to sit and listen to the orchestra first, and take in the amazing sound of the strings. When it was time for the choir, Julia started playing while I turned pages. This might have been more nerveracing than actually playing.

When it was my turn, I don’t know what got into me, I just sat and played as well as I always had in practice. Sure, my hands were extremely sweaty, but they were fine after I started playing. It was probably the most surreal experience I’ve ever had in my entire musical career.

On the ride home I was thinking. Thinking about the events that took place. Thinking about life, and the future. I think that in a way, Copley helped me more than anyone else in the preforming arts. She tought me that mo matter what problems, obstacles, or issues you face in life, I am the only person who can hold me back, keep me steady, and push me forward. It really is amazing.