Intense Andantae: Episode 2

Rich's Point of View

As I walked down the hall during the break time, I was really excited. The five kids I had already auditioned were fantastic. Tess was a major force to be reckoned with, as she was an amazing singer. Brandon had a really nice voice, and was pretty good. Bryan's voice was amazing, and he really can perform well. And Enola and Michael's voice mesh really well together. I'm pretty excited about the club. We just need to audition the three last members then get ready for invitationals. This is going to be great.

I get back to the press box in the auditorium and signal for the band to play the music that let's the kids know we're starting now. I see that all three kids set to audition are here, as well as the others. A petite girl with curly blonde hair and a black dress on comes up on stage.

"Hi, my name is Natalia Smith, and I'll be singing Rehab by Amy Winehouse," she said. As the band started to play, I saw a small look of nausea pass over her face. I passed it off as stage fright.

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"
Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know
I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab, I won't go, go, go

I'd rather be at home with Ray
I ain't got seventeen days
'Cause there's nothing, there's nothing you can teach me
That I can't learn from Mr. Hathaway

I didn't get a lot in class
But I know we don't come in a shot glass

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"
Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know know know
I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab, I won't go, go, go

The man said, "Why do you think you here?"
I said, "I got no idea"
I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby
So I always keep a bottle near

He said, "I just think you're depressed
Kiss me, yeah baby and go rest"

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"
Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know

I don't ever wanna drink again
I just, ooh, I just need a friend
I'm not gonna spend ten weeks
Have everyone think I'm on the mend

And it's not just my pride
It's just 'til these tears have dried

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"
Yes, I've been black but when I come back you'll know, know, know
I ain't got the time and if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab, I won't go, go, go

"Nice job, Natalia," I said once the music ended. "You're very talented," I screamed out as the girl ran off the stage.

I began to write in my notebook.

Name: Natalia Smith

Age: 15

Class: Sophomore

Note: She has such a beautiful, raspy voice. She nailed the Amy Winehouse song she sang. But something seems to be wrong with her. I'm gonna keep an eye on her

The next person walked onto the stage as soon as I finished writing in and closed my notebook.

"Hello," the guy said.

"Hey," I said. "What's your name, and what is your song?"

"My name is Mike Bush, and I'm going to sing OMG by Usher," the kid said.

The music starts to play and Mike starts to sing.

Oh my gosh
Baby let me...
I did it again, so I'm gone let the beat drop
Oh my

Baby let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Baby I can break you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love
I found you finally, you make me want to say
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Ohh my gosh

You make me want to say
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

I fell in love with shawty when I seen her on the dance floor
She was dancing sexy, pop, pop, popping, dropping, dropping low
Never ever has a lady hit me on the first sight
This was something special; this was just like dynamite
Honey got a booty like pow, pow, pow
Honey got some boobies like wow, oh wow
Girl you know I'm loving your, loving your style
Check, check, check, check, check, checking you out like,
Ooh (oooh) she got it allll
Sexy from her head to toe
And I want it all, it all, it all

Baby let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Baby I can break you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love
I found you finally, you make me want to say
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Ohh my gosh

You make me want to say
You make me want to say
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Feel so hard for honey out of all the girls up in this club
This one got me whipped, just off one look, yep I fell in love
This one something special, this one just like dynamite
You're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're out of sight
Fell in love with honey like my, oh my
Honey looking wonderful; fly, so fly
Honey like a supermodel; my, oh my
Baby how you do that, make a grown man cry?
Ooh (oooh) baby, you got it alll
Sexy from her head to the toe
And I want it all, it all, it all

So, honey let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Baby I can break it down
There's so many ways to love ya
Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love I found you finallyy,
You make me want to say..
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Oh My Gosh!

Oh my gosh
Oh my
Oh my
Oh, oh my gosh

Oh myy gosh
I did it again
So I'm gone let the beat drop

Oh, oh, oh myy
Oh, oh, oh my, my, my, my, my, my
Ooh my gosh

Ooh my gosh

Ooh my gosh

The song ends, and Mike stands on the stage until I dismiss him.

I write in my notebook.

Name: Mike Bush

Age: 17

Class: Senior

Note: His voice is definitely not the strongest of the 7 kids that've sang for me today, but he is good. I just wasn't blown away with him like I was with the others. But he was good. So he's in.

The finally kid to audition for me was Lucy Jones. She decided to sing Tik Tok by Ke$ha.

Wake up in the mornin' feelin' like P- Diddy (Hey what's up girl)
Grab ma glasses I'm out the door I'm gonna hit the city (Let's go)
Before I leave brush ma teeth with a bottle of Jack
'Cuz when I leave for the night I ain't comin back

I'm talkin pedicure on our toes toes
Tryin on all our clothes clothes
Boys blowin' up our phones phones

Drop top and playing' our favorite CD's
Going up to the parties
Tryna get a little bit tipsy

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Im'ma fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Im'ma fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

Aint got a care in world, but got plenty of beer
Aint got no money in my pocket, but I'm already here
Now, the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger
But we kick em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger

I'm talkin' bout - everybody getting crunk, crunk
Boys tryna touch my junk, junk
Gonna smack him if he getting too drunk, drunk
Now, now - we goin' til they kick us out, out
Or the police shut us down, down
Police shut us down, down
Po-po shut us - (down)-man

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Ima fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Im'ma fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

You build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me
With my hands up
You got me now
You got that sound
Yeah, you got me

You build me up
You break me down
My heart, it pounds
Yeah, you got me
With my hands up
Put your hands up
Put your hands up

Now, the party don't start till I walk in

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Im'ma fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

Don't stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Im'ma fight
Till we see the sunlight
TiK ToK, on the clock
But the party don't stop no
Woah-oh oh oh
Woah-oh oh oh

"That was really good," I said.

In my notebook I wrote:

Name: Lucy Jones

Age: 14

Class: Freshman

Note: Pretty good voice, and good dancing. That's pretty much it. It's the same thing as Mike. Good, not great, but good. So she's in.

"Great, all of you guys are in, so head to the music room for the first meeting of the year," I said into the speakerphone.

I walked out of the press box, down the spiraling steps of the auditorium, and headed to the music room.

When I walked into the music room, I looked at all the faces of my students. Tess, Brandon, Bryan, Enola, Michael, Natalia, Mike, and Lucy. Tess and Brandon were kissing in a corner. Bryan and Natalia were texting on their phones, probably to each other sending flirty text messages. I would know, after all the times they'd done it in my English class. Michael and Mike were talking about the upcoming football game, and Lucy and Enola, the BFF's, were gossiping, talking about the cheerleading practice they had earlier, filing their nails, and texting on their Blackberries at the same time. Those girls were simply amazing.

But when I coughed gently to get their attention, everyone eyes darted straight to me, just like I wanted them to.

"Now guys," I said, "You all are really talented people. But I need to know, are you all commited to this? I know some jocks," he said, looking at Brandon, Michael, and Mike, "and some cheerleaders," he said, looking at Lucy and Enola, "have said that glee club is for losers. But are you 8 in?"

"Yes, Rich," the club said in unison.

"Now we just need a name for the club," I said. The club bounced names around, but then Tess said something that caught my ears.

"Intense Andante."

"What's that?" I asked. "Repeat that please?"

"Ya know, Intense Andante. The word intense, and then andante, which means a tempo that's walking speed," Tess said.

"I like it," everybody said.

"Good," I said, as I passed out sheet music to people, "then learn your part, I'll teach you the choreography, and then we'll do our first group performance," I said.

In 20 minutes, we were back in the auditorium for the group performance. The band started to play the beginning riffs, and the kids started to sing.

[Brandon:]
Blame it on the goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Patron
Got you in the zone Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol

[Brandon:]
Ay she say she usually don't
But I know that she front
Cause shawty know what she want
But she don't wanna seem like she easy

[Bryan:]
I ain't saying what you wont do
But you know we probably gonna do
What you been feeninn deep inside
Don't lie now

[Natalia:] Girl what you drinking ?
Gonna let sink in
Here for the weekend
Thinking
We can
See what we can be if we press fast forward
Just one more round and you're down I know it

[Brandon:]

Fill another cup up
Feeling on yo butt what ? You don't even care now
I was unaware how fine you were before my buzz set in, before my buzz set in….

[All:]

Blame it on the goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Patron
Got you in the zone
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the vodka
Blame it on the henny
Blame it on the blue top
Got you feeling dizzy
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol

[Brandon:] Oh see
She spilled some drank on me
And now I'm knowing she's tipsy
She put her body on me
And she keep staring me right in my eyes
No telling what I'm gonna do
Baby I would rather show you
What you been missing in your life when I get inside.

[Natalia:] Boy what you drinking ?
Gonna let sink in
Here for the weekend
Thinking
We can
See what we can be if we press fast forward
Just one more round and you're down I know it

[Brandon:]
Fill another cup up
Feelin on yo butt what ? You don't even care now
I was unaware how Fine
You were before my buzz set in, before my buzz set in….

[All:] Blame it on the goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Patron
Got you in the zone
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol

Blame it on the vodka
Blame it on the henny
Blame it on the blue top
Got you feeling dizzy
Blame it on the a a a a a alcohol
Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol

[Brandon and Tess] Now to tha ballas popin bottles
With their Henny in their cups
Screaming money ain't a thang
If it ain't throw it up in the skyyy (sky)
And hold your dranks up highhhh (high)

[Natalia and Bryan]
And to my independent mamas
Who can buy their own bottles
If you looking like a model
When them broke fellas holla
Tell them byeee (bye)
Hold your drinks up highhhh (high)

[All:] You can blame it on the Goose, got you feelin? loose
Blame it on the Tron, got you in the zone
Blame it on the al al al al al alcohol (blame it on the al al al al al alcohol)
Blame it on the Vodka
Blame it on the Henney
Blame it on the Blue Top, gotcha feelin? dizzy
Blame it on the al al al al al alcohol, blame it on the alcohol

The club ended the number with all the kids all striking a pose, and that was the end of IA's week.