On Trying Your Best and Not Getting In

There is an orchestra in our town that is ranked nationally as the best in the entire country. The highest level high school orchestra. Most of the children that graduate end up studying music at Julliard in NYC or Harvard school of music in Boston.

This orchestra travels to Europe and around the US. It's that good.

It is quite amazing to listen to.

And even more amazing is that Anna has had a dream to be in Solisti since - well as long as I can remember.

And Anna is good.  She's been playing year round competitively since she was 5.

But sometimes it's just not enough.

This year the Solisti orchestra were accepting  0 (yes, zero) to 1 (yes, one) violist.

So let's look at her chances already.

There were no senior violists graduating - so her chances were basically zero.

Unless her audition was flawless.

She knew that.

She still gave it her best. "Well, my chances are basically zero, but maybe"

And so one cold Friday afternoon in January Abigail and I sat in the hallway as she walked in to her audition.



and basically I didn't breathe until it was over.





Abigail and I held hands and prayed the entire time. We heard one mistake in her scale but her Bach was just beautiful, flawless. Her sight reading sounded just amazing. But there can't be one tiny mistake to get into Solisti. And her hands shaking while she was playing just couldn't help one wrong note.

Abigail and I listened even with so much going on around the school. I knew there was magic happening behind those muffled door. I could breathe those notes in - I knew them by heart. And we covered her in prayer as she played.

When she walked out of there I was so proud of her my heart swelled. Although we had a wait a few weeks to hear back, I didn't care. I didn't care if she didn't get in I was just so so proud of her.

She is currently still in Camaratta (the orchestra one level down - still such an amazing accomplishment - just not her dream)

(Abigail was worried when the song stopped suddenly - but they cut you off as a certain time)


She has one more year to try again for her senior year. (she will audition in the winter of her junior year) And maybe, just maybe it will happen. But it might not.

I think it's good that kids don't always get what they deserve, what they want, reach every goal, every dream. It's a life lesson that can't be taught, it has to be felt. Only God can decide the big details and the little details in our lives.

And this was one He decided for her. And we love her for trying.