The Zone

Emily walked down the street on Saturday morning, toward Walker Gardens. The sun was shining brightly this morning and several people were out for exercise. She hoped they would stop at the park and hear her music. She had started flute lessons ten years ago but had a bit of trouble playing in front of people. She was hoping that her performance in the park would relieve some of her nervousness.

Dahlias, Hydrangeas, Marigolds and Hosta greeted her as she strolled down the walkway looking for the perfect spot to set up her music stand. She chose the Hosta because she could look out at the beautiful colors spreading out before her.

A young girl rode by on a bicycle followed by a boy on a scooter. The boy was calling for the girl to slow down but she just grinned and kept on pedaling. Emily laughed as she remembered the hikes she used to take with her brother. He would get ahead of her and complain that she was too slow.

A woman, about the age of Emily's mother, walked by with a white Huskey. The dog was curious about Emily and pulled away from the walkway. Emily greeted the woman and petted the dog.

"Amazing Grace" was the first song to play since it was so well known and loved by just about everyone. She played "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", and the audience began to clap the rhythm. Another, more meditative song with a beautiful melody, was "In the Garden". There was a reverent hush among those listening. Some sang the words softly. All the songs Emily selected were old, familiar songs to most of the people.

A carefully planned repertoire was laid out in the binder Emily had brought with her, and she played each piece confidently, hardly noticing the crowd of people who had now gathered in front of her. She was especially happy when she heard singing.

Halfway through her performance, Emily stopped for a sip of water. Everyone clapped. Shyly, she bowed and then sipped her water.

As she commenced with the last part of her music, Emily noticed a man leaning against a tree. He seemed to be in his own world, sometimes listening and sometimes looking up to the sky. She thought she saw his head nodding in time to the music.

Emily played Ravel's "Bolero". It was a piece of music she was working on with her teacher. In an orchestra, the flute begins to play a short melody followed by another instrument playing the same melody. More instruments pick up the melody, one at a time. The whole orchestral piece is a repetition of that melody played by the flute at the beginning. As she finished, she looked up just in time to see the man watching her. Little did she realize how her face glowed.

Her last song was "You Lift Me Up". It was her sister's favorite song, in remembrance of their father who died of cancer a year earlier. Everyone clapped again. Emily felt elated. Maybe this was all she needed to help her feel more comfortable in front of an audience.

As she started to put away her flute, she noticed the money that was in her flute case. It wasn't much but it was a token of appreciation from those who had stopped to listen to her play.

The next day was Sunday and Emily was scheduled to play at church along with the regular pianist during the prelude and congregational singing. There were only a few seats empty this morning and Emily felt a bit of her nervousness return. She had to forget the people and try to concentrate on the music and the words of the old songs. One of the older, more familiar hymns needed to be transposed down a tone. She would have to concentrate more to make sure she stayed in the new key. She had learned how to transpose an instrument early in her musical career but it didn't really make sense until she studied music theory and understood the keys better.

By the time Emily had put away the hymnbooks, cleaned and packed up her flute, most of the people had left. The ones lingering at the back were people who wanted to talk to the minister.

On Saturday, the weather forecast was for 70% precipitation. Emily watched as the rain splashed against the windows. Thunder rumbled and streaks of lightning flashed across the sky. The house was blanketed in a dull light.

Well, there was nothing better to do than practice. She opened her book and played all the pieces she had chosen for the park this morning. Even though nobody was there to hear her, she still enjoyed these songs.

The phone broke into the noisy thunder and the beautiful flute music. It was the nursing home wondering if Emily might have a half an hour or an hour to share some music with them in the afternoon. An apology was made for the short notice but Emily quickly said she could come any time they wanted since the weather cancelled her park music.

Emily played some hymns and some old time folk music. It was always so much fun to go there. Sometimes, she would play the music and ask if anyone knew the title of the song. Most of the time, she saw people trying to remember. However, during other songs people sang the words. When she was finished and was putting her flute away, everyone was sad that she had to go. She promised she would return soon.

The next Saturday, Emily was again walking down the street toward the park, reflecting on her busy week. She was a bit tired but was looking forward to another day at the park. Again, the sun had chosen to shine this morning. Emily was grateful. As she stepped into the park, the air was filled with the perfume from the flowers. It was going to be a good day.

She stopped at the same spot but decided that she would rather play in front of the dahlias. As she was setting up, people started to gather again. One woman asked her if she was going to play "Bolero". When Emily said yes she would, the woman was happy.

She started again with "Amazing Grace". Partway through the song Emily heard music from near the tree. She stopped and looked quickly at who was interrupting her performance. There was the man who had been there last Saturday. He had a guitar. When Emily stopped, so did he.

Emily questioned what he was doing. He asked if he could play the music with her. She could feel the blood warming her face as she agreed. He moved in closer to her and they began "Amazing Grace" again. She asked if he knew Bolero. They talked about the key and how they would play it. Emily started to play alone and then the guitar came in playing the melody along with the flute.

She could see the woman was really enjoying it while tears were rolling down her cheeks. Emily had heard people talk about the "zone". It usually happened when the instruments were in tune with each other and the music was emotionally uplifting. She knew what they meant as the music flowed in perfect harmony and tonality. Emily was also enjoying sharing this moment with someone who could play so well.

There was more money in her flute case this week. When she tried to share it with the man, he told her to keep it. He was so happy to play along with her.