Talent



It was a dark and scary night. No it was not Halloween, or an evening craft show or a flash back to my Jr. High years. It was the night of the Elementary School Talent Show.


The brave parents of the PTO decided to give it a try to raise some money for the school playground. I believe it was the first one in many a year to take place at the school next door. Might be the last one for awhile. Not that the show wasn't a big success. Not that the parents who organized the show didn't do a fantastic job. Oh they did! It was beautifully done. Decorations, stage, professional sound. Successful ticket sales. Each child had a 1 minute routine. 20 children total. Not a lot of lag time. They even had the theatre teacher as the MC. He was great! Funny, quick- witted and charming. The program said the show started at 6 and ended at 8. Sure enough. Right on time, even with a break..to sell some nachos. It should have been a sweet memory. It should have been one of those nights that one looks back on with great pride and reverence and says.."Oh Yeah! I remember my first talent show"..or "hey, that's the song I danced to at my 3rd grade talent show"...etc. But no. Not for the Wilkins family. This night will remain in the well hidden pockets of our minds..back with bad dates, embarrassing jobs and playing "Bull Durham" on the quiet bus on the Walt's Across Texas Tour this year. (..we brought it because we love baseball and thought it would be fun to play for all the people on the long bus ride.. BUT BUT..we had not seen it on DVD for a long while..and only had seen it on TBS. TBS, where they take out the f word, racy scenes and edit the hell out of the steaminess of it all) ( I was hiding under my blanket..while the film played for everyone on the bus, riding back from a perfect 3 days of music, frolic and good clean fun) (1 and a half hours of steamy=me mortified) 


Luke was not really that excited to play for the talent show. He is a bit shy about his drumming these days. (no, he didn't hit baseballs into the crowd) He is now aware that people are staring at you when you choose to perform. He has played with us at Luckenbach Dance Hall, Gruene Hall and many, many other places..mostly as a natural way to keep our eye on him while we performed. We would give him chop sticks or toothbrushes and he would play along when he was little. I promise that I will not brag about our child any more, after this posting. The truth is, he has remarkable eye hand coordination. He is a gifted ball player and a gifted drummer. He completely sucks at ballet. I really don't know that, but was feeling a bit like a bragger.


So the talent show auditions were coming up and Luke said that he might want to drum. I said good..and suggested that he practice a bit, if in case he does choose to cast his gifts before others  to judge,  have at it.   He decided that he would play to his favorite musical DVD called "Animusic". Animusic has computerized images that play to cool electronic tones, drums and music. Kind of like dancing in Germany. The audition was 30 seconds. He tried out and got in! We should have just stopped there. He performed, kids clapped, got off stage and wha-la..everything is good.


But no. He was one of 20 that would perform in front of parents and other people guilted into coming to the elementary school on a Saturday evening the same time as the UT football game. It was a whole different show now. It wasn't a gig. It wasn't in the safety of his bedroom either. And worst of all..there was a distinct 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. Big trophies. Right up front for all to see. Hidden among the winning trophies, were small participant trophies for all the losers..I mean for the 17 who were deemed less talented.


Luke played in the first half ( before the nacho break). He had a bit of a problem getting the DVD player synced up to the spot where he would play..but eventually got to it, gracefully. My mom was sweating and said, "Go and help him", but truth be told, he did this all by himself, so I couldn't help him if I tried! Finally the DVD started and Luke roared into a great beat, with mallets on a Korean drum that my brother and sister in law sent him last year for Christmas. It was fast and furious and fantastic. He was on his knees, wearing his Texas Rangers hat and a a handsome guy shirt..and played the living joy out that that drum..for approximately 58 seconds. I will post a video..if I can figure it out.


The kids and parents gave him a wild round of applause. He bounded off the stage and into the arms of his friends. It was awesome. He was shining. The children all did well. It was a beautiful display of many unique talents. Everyone had a good time..until the actual show was over.


 dun dun daaaa...(scary theme music in my head)  It was time to give out the trophies. First everyone who participated received a small trophy. Then Mr. Pena ( the MC) did something so cool. He announced the 3 top winners, quickly and without a big change of emotion. It was at that moment that I bet he realized that our school counselor's office would be flooded the next school day,  with over achievers thinking that they were not as talented as their parents had told them they were and wanted to quit piano for the rest of their lives.


3rd place: A 2nd grade female who played a sweet version of "Ode To Joy" on the piano


2nd place: A 3rd grade female dancer with special needs, who danced beautifully to a Christian song.


1st place: A talented 3rd grade female who danced to "I'm Proud to be an American" and ended the show holding 2 flags.


All well chosen and really quite sweet.


Not for Luke. Not for a couple of other kids too..who by all means were just as talented. Luke came over to me with tears in his eyes..and said they are tears of joy, because it was so fun. I told him that was ok to be sad and it was ok to cry.


It sucks to be judged. It sucks to be judged along side dancers, singers and piano players. It is purely subjective. It doesn't matter who wins, you did your best. You beat out a hundred other children who didn't make the top 20. None of this mattered. He had his heart broken..because 3 theater arts teachers from 3 different other elementary schools (judges) did not pick him to win the big trophy.


He was sad for 2 days. He didn't even want to talk about it. Then yesterday he came home from school, went directly to his room and started messing around with bolts and nuts and old sports trophies he had received for playing baseball etc. He asked Walt for help with a wrench..and then walked out with a modified trophy he made himself. He took the participant's trophy and added a long piece to the middle to make it a big, winner's trophy. The kid created his own winner's trophy. He was not satisfied with the decision and made his own reality.

Thus the photo in the corner.  (if indeed I actually uploaded it)

Then he was happy.  I would never had done that.  I would have come home, devoured the last of the Halloween candy and gone off in a sugar coma and cried for 3 days.

Lesson today:  If life gives you lemons..go make your own damn trophy.

I know it's not poetic...but who's judging?


Wed. November 10th   11:30 pm

(this was written last week..saved to edit, lost..found..lost again and hopefully now sent to the warmth of your very computer)





Comments

  1. Aside from my goddaughter, Luke has been and will remain one of my favorite kids on the planet...

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  2. Shame on the theatre teacher. My school has always had talent shows, and the kids are just having fun. No way should children be judged for doing their best and having fun! Why does life always have to be a competition?

    Drum on Luke,
    Karin

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  3. I'm with Ed! Children are way too impressionable to be judged. Why judge? A couple days ago I went to Oasis in Austin to attend the awards ceremony for the Oasis Sunset Photo contest where, ironically, there was a youth category. I'm not a professional by any means. It's just a hobby. But it's also a huge passion of mine so I was excited at the chance to have my work judged...until they announced the winners. I have to say though, there were some incredible photos there! And it really didn't matter to me that I didn't win. The most important thing was that I was at the most beautiful spot in Austin, with three of my favorite people in this world who had come to support me, having a GREAT time! I went home that night feeling like a winner! I may have to have Luke make me my very own winner's trophy ;)

    If you need help with that video let me know. I can't wait to see it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hooray for Luke! He earned a life experience that night, and I think it is so cool that he made his own trophy! HE knows he's good; HE knows he's a winner. HE knows he's loved. Heck, I think I just learned a life lesson from him.

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  5. what a resilient guy! I had many a rejection from various types of auditions, and know the disappointment from being judged, even if the judges sucked. but good for him, thats a great attitude to have.and his first talent show sounds way better than mine which was a duet of "the wind beneath my wings"...oyy...keep beatin' that drum Luke!

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