Writing Challenge #1

It was my 18th birthday weekend. I was now officially an adult and living the life in the chaotic streets of New Orleans. My heart felt like it was beating 100 beats per second. My knees were shaking beneath my dress. This is it I thought to myself. "Please welcome Willie Webb to the stage from South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota" Irvin Mayfield said last Saturday night at his Jazz Playhouse club in New Orleans. After a morning performance with the Jazz Band in the playhouse, Irvin Mayfield, the owner, invited me back to sing with his band later that night for a show. I was speechless. The band director, Scott Carter, was beaming with pride that one of his students would have this kind of opportunity. When he asked I knew that I had to say yes. This was a chance of a lifetime for me. Irvin Mayfield is an outstanding musician and has won a Grammy for his band's music. For the rest of the day up until my performance all I could do was think "how can this be possible?". As it grew nearer to my performance I started getting butterflies in my stomach like I usually do before I perform. Except they were more extreme than ever. No performance I have done has ever been this big.  We arrive and I see that the club is packed with people. There is a jazz festival going on in New Orleans, which is why we are there on tour, and I know that I am going to need to really impress these people. They have been hearing professionals all weekend and are attending a Grammy award winning band show that night. Could I really do this with jazz lovers watching and possibly judging? It was as if my friend Lisa could read my thoughts. As we were seated she turned to me and said "You are going to do great. I know that you can handle this". Hearing the sincerity in her voice I believed her and started to become excited. Then those words came out of Irvin Mayfield's mouth. I walked up on stage, handed the musicians my music, and turned towards the microphone. Singing my song was a blur. I can barely remember the band starting and all the sudden it was over. The club bursts into applause, along with all my friends supporting me from jazz band. That alone was one of my top ten moments of my life. I knew I had done well and was proud of myself. This will not only be a trip that I will remember forever, but also the start of my adult life. Who else can say that for their 18th birthday they performed with jazz professionals? Not a lot I bet. Now with being back home and going to school, I keep thinking "That (this) was some adventure, huh?".