The Light of Music

Say Something

"THANK YOU, BUFFALO! YOU'VE BEEN GREAT! GOODNIGHT!" shouted each member, as if they were taking turns. They took their bows, waved, and quickly walked off stage.

I turned to Ginge with what I assume to be the biggest smile I have ever had, basically telling her to prepare herself for what was going to happen next.

"Please don't. Please, I beg you--" the color draining from her face. She knew what was coming next. But it was too late. I grabbed her hand and began trampling through the crowd to get to the stage.

Pushing through everyone else, we reached the door to backstage. Or rather, I did. Ginge had let go of my hand a few yards back. Maybe I shouldn't have pulled so hard.

No matter because, eventually, she caught up to me and we stood in line...again. Since we didn't have the best VIP tickets, we were the last group to meet Pentatonix. But I didn't care. I entertained myself by quietly humming Avi's bass line for "Say Something."

Finally, it was our turn and our group slowly trudged through the narrow doorway that was separating me from my idol. As I walked through, I looked up and nearly fainted. There they were.

Avi's POV

Wow, this concert is going great! I thought to myself, at the same time, singing "Aha!" with the others. I was so glad we were able to go on an amazing tour like this. Oh, time for my overtone singing.

As Kevin brings out Beyoncé (if you didn't know already, Kevin named his cello Beyoncé) for "Say Something", something in the crowd catches my eye. A boy, about 18 or 19, has one hand on his diaphragm and the other on his side. I can tell he is doing breathing exercises, but the strange thing is he occasionally moves his hand from his side up and down in the air. I also notice that at the same time his hand goes up, his eyebrows do. When his hand goes down, his eyebrows go down. This can mean only thing: he is working on tonality and pitch. Maybe he is going to sing with us. I thought, finding my own pitch with a tuner to my ear. But whose part will he be singing?

The song begins beautifully with Kevin on his cello. When it comes to my entrance, I look down and I am shocked. The boy is singing my part. I look directly at him, trying to catch his gaze, only to realize he has his eyes closed. Wow, he is really focusing intently on the pitch. Good for him!

When it comes to my solo, I look at the boy again. His eyes now open and permanently fixed on me, but his hands have not moved. I sing directly to him, putting everything I have into the feeling of the notes. But I am soon overcome with sorrow. The boy puts so much passion behind his voice, the pain pouring out of his lips and his eyes. That is what music is truly about. Passion.

The song ends, and now so does the concert. We say our thank you's and our goodbyes. Heading off stage, I make sure I don't lose sight of the boy. I want to make him my protégé.