About the Young Writers Project
YWP, an independent nonprofit based in Burlington, Vermont, engages young people to write and use digital media to express themselves with clarity and power and to gain confidence and skills for the workplace and life. YWP publishes about 1,000 students’ work each year here, in newspapers across Vermont, on Vermont Public Radio and in YWP’s monthly digital magazine, The Voice. Since 2006, it has offered young people a place to write, explore and connect online at youngwritersproject.org, which has only one rule: Be respectful. For more information, please contact YWP executive director Geoffrey Gevalt at ggevalt@youngwritersproject.org.
Caroline Swayze, a sixth grade student at Charlotte Central School, writes about the excitement and nervousness she felt before playing her fiddle at the Higher Ground music venue in South Burlington. The audio includes Caroline reading her piece and ends with her playing her fiddle.
Playing at Higher Ground
By Caroline Swayze
[I] sat in my chair, shaking with nervousness and excitement. I was about to play my fiddle at Higher Ground Music Center in South Burlington.
As the master of ceremonies introduced me, I started to walk up on stage. In the back of my head I heard cheering, but in front, everything was blank. I tried to remember what my friends and family told me, “Imagine that all the audience is in their underpants!”
Nope, I thought, that was just too weird. “Imagine you are just playing in your room and nobody is there.”
That’s impossible; there were more than 50 people in front of me. I tried hard to smile as I sat in front of the mic. I didn’t have the strength to do that now. Maybe if I played one song before, I would feel better.
I glanced at the song list in my hand. I decided not to follow that for now; when I wrote that, I was not nervous at all, just excited that I had this huge opportunity. But now I needed to play my favorite song that would let my stress out. “St. Nick’s” was the perfect song. As I droned on the A string for eight measures, I started to feel better.
Then I launched into the song. It was pretty fast paced and upbeat so I could only pay attention to the song, not the audience. It sounded really pretty and clear. When I finished the song, I felt so much better, happy even. I made my announcement, launched into another song and I was fine.
Check out the February/March issue of The Voice, the Young Writers Project monthly digital magazine. Click here.
