Piano Recital

This passage describes a girl's anxiety over playing in her first piano recital.

Lexile Level: 870L

Categories: Art & Music

Mallory clutched her sheet music. She was the next one to perform in this year's piano recital. Big crowds made her nervous, and this would be her first time playing the piano in front of an audience larger than her parents and brother. When the girl on stage finished her song, Mallory knew it was her turn. She slowly walked to the piano, sat down on the piano bench, and adjusted her sheet music. She remembered her piano teacher's advice about dealing with stage fright. She said Mallory would be less nervous if she pictured the audience members in their pajamas. Mallory sighed and looked out at the crowd that had gathered for this event. She saw an elderly man in the front row and closed her eyes, imagining him wearing a long, striped night cap and fuzzy, footed pajamas. She smiled and opened her eyes. She felt more relaxed already.