Jordan had played trumpet in the Lakeview Secondary band for two years, always in the third row, always blending in. So when Ms. Moreau announced that the spring concert would include a short solo, he did not expect her to look at him. "Jordan," she said, "I think you're ready." Everyone turned around. His stomach dropped.
The solo was only sixteen bars long, but it ended on a high G that Jordan could hit about half the time. For three weeks, he practised in the garage after supper so he would not bother his family. He recorded himself on his phone and listened back, wincing at every cracked note. His older cousin Dev, who played in a jazz group in Toronto, gave him advice over a video call. "Stop thinking about the high note," Dev said. "Think about the phrase before it. If the path is smooth, the top takes care of itself."
On the night of the concert, the school gym was full. Jordan could see his grandmother in the second row, holding up her phone to record. When his solo began, his hands were damp, but the first notes came out clear and warm. He reached the last phrase, took a breath and aimed for the high G.
It cracked. It was not a small crack, either, but a sound like a goose with a cold. A few students in the audience giggled. For one terrible second, Jordan wanted to put down his trumpet and walk off the stage.
Instead, he remembered something Ms. Moreau said at every rehearsal: "The music keeps going, so you keep going." He lowered the trumpet, caught his breath and played the final phrase one more time. This time, the high G rang out across the gym, steady and bright.
After the concert, Jordan expected people to talk about the crack. Some did. But more of them talked about the second try. His grandmother said it was the best part of the whole evening, because "anyone can play a note, but not everyone can come back for it."
That night, Jordan added a new recording to his phone. It was not perfect. He listened to it three times anyway.
When Ms. Moreau chooses Jordan for the solo, "his stomach dropped." What does this expression show?