Mitzi & Oz

Chapter 11: Raise Your Voice

The key thing is, I can't sound better than Shawna, or she'll hate me. So I need Shawna to go first. Then I can see what I'm working with. Maybe I could do a song with some range, and mess up a few of the high notes so Miss Burgess doesn't think I can hit them. I have to get a passing grade, though, and that means I have to do well in the poise and professionalism and preparedness part. I'm pretty sure poise means standing up straight and not stuttering or throwing up, which means I'll fail that part. Preparedness probably means remembering all the words to the song, which I've already established as impossible unless I do one of my belting songs. Professionalism? I'm not sure what that means. Maybe that's the part about singing in tune. Or maybe it's the part about not wearing jeans with holes in them. So I might be good on that one. I have to pass two of the three to pass the whole thing.

By the time I get to voice class I'm sweaty and feel a lot more like I'm going to throw up. I sit down on the risers and wipe my hands on my pants. "Are you okay?" Elsie asks.

"Yeah, you look a little green," says Casey.

I can't answer them. I'm too busy swallowing down the bile rising in my throat. Luckily, Miss Burgess walks out from around her desk, holding a big bowl.

"I have everyone's names in here," she announces, shaking the bowl just enough so the little pieces of paper shuffle. "Random order. So, be ready! And, I should have to say this, please be respectful to your classmates who are auditioning. That means no cell phones and no talking during each audition. Got it?"

Everyone grumbles their assent. She reaches in and dramatically swirls her hand around.

"Casey Weber," she says.

Casey gives us all a nervous smile. "You got this," Shawna says, then makes a weird motion with her hands by her face while she smiles. "Face."

Must be a dance thing, I think, as Casey's face suddenly blinks into a huge, fake smile, and she strides to the front of the room.

Miss Burgess asks her a few basic questions like, "What's your name?" and "How old are you?" and "What will you be singing for us today, Casey?" Casey answers them all with that smile still on her face.

I don't know the song Casey has chosen, so I can't tell if she's any good or not. It all sounds a little bit rushed and out of tune to me. I'm sure she'll get some extra credit for being the first one up. She only messes up the lyrics once, and I only know because of how she corrects herself.

After Casey is done, Miss Burgess says, "Thank you, Casey, that was very good. I want to point out that you can get away with singing incorrect lyrics if you don't telegraph your mistake like Casey did."

Great, so now I'll get points off if I do what Casey did. I almost wish I had gone first.

"Next up... Mitzi Howard."

Side B: Oz

It's Thursday and I'm dreading band practice. Not the one in school. The one after school. My band. The Flaming Pickles.