Big Time by Tom; Ryan Read Free Book Online

around. I take a look at the stapled sheets she’s handed me, a bunch of sheet music. I start to get nervous. I don’t know how to read music. Granddad taught me to play a couple of simple chords on a guitar, but that’s about it.
    â€œI’d like to start by getting a feel for who sings in what range,” she says. “Who wants to take a crack at piano?” I look around, surprised when Bernice, Olive and Macy all put their hands up to volunteer.
    â€œGreat,” says Ms. Kogawa. “I’m glad to learn that I don’t have a shy group. How about you do the honors today, Bernice? The rest of you, don’t worry—everyone will have a chance.”
    I’m relieved when Tyler puts his hand up and asks the same thing that I’ve been thinking.
    â€œAre we expected to be able to read music? ’Cause I don’t sight-read.”
    â€œWho else doesn’t read music?” she asks. Only Tyler and I put up our hands, and I begin to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. She didn’t mention being able to read music when she told me about the choral group.
    â€œThat’s okay,” she says. “You don’t necessarily need to be able to do it to start off. It will help if you’re willing to put some time into at least learning the basics. We’ll always do a careful run-through of the various parts before we really dig into a new piece. If you’ve got a good ear, it should be no problem, and I’ll be happy to give the two of you some extra help to bring you up to speed in the meantime.”
    Tyler glances over at me, and I can tell by the look on his face that he’s as skeptical as I am. I’m not about to stand up and leave in the middle of practice though, so I wait to see what happens.
    â€œThe songs I’ve handed out are just for practice,” Ms. Kogawa says. “Once we’re off and running, we’ll start to develop a set list and come up with some ideas for future performances.”
    â€œWhere will we be performing?” asks Bernice.
    â€œThere’s nothing lined up yet,” says Ms. Kogawa. “I wanted to make sure I could pull a group together before I started looking for venues.”
    Our first song is a Broadway show tune. I don’t recognize the name, but as soon as Bernice plays the intro, I realize that I’ve actually heard it a million times, and although I wouldn’t know the words to save my life, the tune immediately pops into my head.
    I soon discover that choral singing isn’t quite as simple as knowing a basic melody. The vocals are broken into four parts—bass, tenor, alto and soprano—and each of them has a separate melody line. Individually, they sound kind of funny, twisting up or down and away from the tune I’m familiar with, but it becomes clear when we sing the components together that the whole sounds better than the sum of its parts. It’s like when I harmonize with my granddad, but more formal.
    It’s obvious when I think about it. I’ve never had a problem singing harmonies—they’ve just come naturally to me. Although I have no idea how to read sheet music, I start to think about how instinct can only take you so far. Seeing a simple melody broken apart and written down for multiple voices gives me a whole new perspective on how music works.
    As Bernice leads us through the song on the piano, Ms. Kogawa writes our names on the board under the various vocal parts. It turns out that Tyler and Davis both sing tenor, Bernice and Macy are altos, and Olive and I are sopranos. I’ve always known my voice is in the high register, but it’s never occurred to me to think of myself as a soprano. It sounds really professional, although I sure don’t feel that way, especially compared to the rest of them, who’ve obviously been taking music lessons forever.
    To my surprise, things actually start to come together pretty quickly.