Concert

It's the second half of the summer term and that means sports days, school productions, trips away and school concerts.

This evening, the June warmth combines with a sudden downpour so that we are all steaming gently as we cram into the school hall, perching on the uncomfortable hard plastic seats. I find myself hallucinating slightly as I look at the programme and the two sides listing the performances seem to go on forever. I look at the clock: it's five to six and I wonder what time it will finish. My damp suit is uncomfortable and every time I shift to stop it sticking to me I bump shoulders with the chap sat next to me.

Just after six the headteacher comes on and talks for a while. I'm already bored and grumpy. However, Dan is near the top of the list and I perk up as he plays the guitar and I realise that he's already far better at it than I am. Once the kids are performing, I begin to enjoy myself a bit more. I love watching them in their strange variety, all shapes and sizes, some shy, rushing up, head down, to perform their piece and others astoundingly confident as they look into the audience to announce what they're about to play. Dan and Abi perform piano pieces, which I'm amazed by; they do all their practice up at the house and I rarely hear them play. I'm a bit sad that I didn't know how far they'd come on.

Later, Abi gets up to play the saxophone. The speed at which she's growing is outstripping her appetite and she looks stick thin as she gets up onto the stage. I remember when she was smaller and shyer but now she puts her music on the stand, looks around the hall comfortably, takes up her instrument and starts to play. The piece is perfectly suited to her abilities and she plays beautifully; relaxed and confident.

I'm in the mood for this now and I enjoy the rest of the children. I think the rest of the audience does, too, as the long applause at the end is genuine and fast, at odds with the damp heat of the evening. Then it's headteacher time again and we all get fidgety as we are encouraged into further bouts of applause. Everybody is ready to go home now.