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Eric Calandrelli
Engl-111-2BF, Mrs. B
E1, 1507
9/9/15;
Testing the Limits
Thump-thump! My heart feels as if it is about to pound right out of my chest, and waltz
on over to the middle of the stage and start dancing to the swing of the band in front of the 800
year of being selected to be a part of the Madison County Jazz Honor Band is beyond me, but
that is not really my focus as of right now. All I am thinking about is that it is almost my turn to
take a seat at the throne of the beautiful, orange drum kit, and play my heart out with the best
jazz musicians in Madison County right next to me. It is also very hard for me to take my eyes
off the girl next to me, the piano girl as I referred to her. Thats what I called her before I figured
out she had a name. I can smell the sweet lavender scent of her perfume as she flips her healthy
golden-brown hair. Maybe Ill wish her good luck, but what can I say without making myself
look like an ignoramus? Hey, good luck tonight. No, too plain. Hey piano girl, kill it tonight.
No, thats something my father would say. Hey My thoughts are cut off by one of the most
innocent and prettiest voices I have ever heard, Hey, good luck out there.
The first year I ever tried out for the Madison County Jazz Honor Band was my freshman
year of jazz band. I didnt know much about jazz at the time, and if someone told me then that I
would be trying to pursue a career in playing jazz, Id probably just laugh in disbelief. Needless
to say, I didnt make it, nor did I care at the time. It wasnt until I came to truly love jazz that I
got my acceptance letter to my very first Jazz Honor Band my sophomore year. I became so
involved with jazz. My schools jazz band was sounding really good, and we won a lot of awards

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going to several concerts and jazz festivals. Then, I received my second acceptance letter, my
junior year.
As I have just got done with trying out for my last year eligible to be a member of the
Madison County Jazz Honor Band, MCJHB for short, I cant be any more nervous. The talent is
very good this year, many great musicians wanted a spot. Its about a week after auditions, and
the end of a productive jazz rehearsal at school. My band director pulls out a letter. My heart
drops, I know exactly what that letter contains, and its almost the same wording every year, with
different names on it. He calls off all the names that made it from my school: Larry Hiday,
Bryce King, Eric George He cuts off, and my vision becomes blurry from the tears that begin
to fill my eyes. Then he continues. And congratulations to Eric Calandrelli, for returning to play
drums for the third year. I couldnt help but smile, and feel the wave of joy overcome me. I
could never have thought that I would come to love this style of music so much. After learning
so much about something that I disliked so much in the beginning, it just comes to show that it is
okay to try something that I may not like, because in the end, I may end up loving it.
Thump-thump! My heart is beating so loud, that you could probably hear it over the
great jazz band that is on stage right now. They are just finishing up their last song. After that, the
MCJHB performs. I can feel the sweat rolling down my neck. It tends to get hot while wearing
black pants, and a tux shirt. As I look around, it is hard to see much because it is dark backstage.
All of the sudden, I smell a sweet scent of lavender. I take a quick glance to my right to realize
that the scent is coming from piano girl. She looks great, wearing her black pants and grey
cardigan with a white t-shirt. Maybe this is my perfect opportunity to talk to her again, and
hopefully Ill actually get her name this time. Maybe Ill wish her good luck, but what can I say
without making myself look like an ignoramus? Hey, good luck tonight. No too plain. Hey

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piano girl, kill it tonight. No, thats something my father would say. Hey My thoughts are
cut off by one of the most innocent and prettiest voices I have ever heard, Hey, good luck out
there. Thats all it took for her? She made it look so easy. Ive been trying to find the right
words to say for the past week of rehearsal.
Next up, this group is some of the finest jazz musicians in all of Madison County. Under
the direction of Lennie Foy, give it up the 2015 Madison County Jazz Honor Band. The crowd
is cheering and clapping so loud that I wonder if the band can match that volume. I have taken
my seat at the throne of this orange Yamaha custom kit. The entire band is ready for our first
song. All I can think of is the crowd in attendance tonight. A whopping 800, or so, people packed
into the big auditorium. The good thing about being on stage is that when the lights come up, the
crowd becomes barely visible. Crash! The vibration that I feel in my hands from the cymbals,
and drums, mixed with the low rumbling of the stand-up bass coming through my chest makes
me feel weightless. I suddenly feel so alert. The butterflies, and every nervous emotion suddenly
turns into joy. I am loving it up here. We play the first song and the second song, and everyone is
grooving. The brass section cutting through like a diamond, while the saxophones scream away,
giving a warm sound underneath that, and the rhythm section acts as glue to support everything
else.
Our last song is a little slower. The bass starts giving a duple meter bluesy bass walk. The
rest of the band comes in after a couple of measures, steadily swinging before we pick up the
solo section. I look to my right and notice piano girl playing a beautiful counter melody to the
rest of the band. Everything is grooving very well. The first soloist features a tenor saxophone. I
cant see him, but I can hear how warm of a tone he plays. Followed by that is a trumpet solo,
then a bass solo. After the last note of the bass solo, the piano cuts in a little louder to start her

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solo, then I add subtle fills in which she respond s to with beautiful piano lines. I finally feel like
I have communicated with her. I looked at her and noticed those blues eyes would glance back at
me every time we traded measures, followed by a smile every now and then. The song ended
with a short drum solo, and then the whole band came back in to give one last drawn out chord.
The roar of the audience made everything worthwhile. After I got backstage, I wasted no time. I
noticed she was standing by herself again, so I walked up to her and asked her if she would
dance with me. We were there dancing, to the last song of the night, which happened to be a slow
song. After the song ended, she told me her name was Ellie. I then figured out that piano girl
actually had a name.
So with this, I could say that this event changed my life. After developing a love for jazz,
it taught me many things. It made me a better musician because I learned techniques, such as
listening, and being aware of what is going on. Getting accepted into the MCJHB three years in a
row also taught me that hard work and dedication can really pay off. Had I not joined jazz band
in high school, I would not be as good of a drummer as I am today. I am very thankful for every
opportunity that arose from being involved with it. It also brought me out of my shell a lot. The
old me probably would never have had the courage to ask a girl to dance with me.
With this being said, through my personal experience, I found that it is good to get out of
my comfort zone and experience new things. I learned a lot, and made a plethora of friends in
doing so. I found a love for something that will always stick with me. Who knows, one may end
up loving it, and it could be a life changing experience. Just do it.