The Music Exam Poem by Angela Wybrow

I sit outside the exam room, waiting, patiently, for my turn;
Anxiety has, long since, set in, and my stomach is all a-churn.
These music exams, have always been really rather formal,
So, I guess, to get this nervous, is just completely normal.

I enter the exam room, and, having warmed up, I start,
But, all too soon, things, very slightly, begin to fall apart.
For this moment, in my life, I have, relentlessly, rehearsed;
Of the times, I’ve played this piece; this is, by far, the worst.

I’m unable to stop my two hands from, literally, shaking,
And I’m feeling annoyed at the mistakes, I’m now making.
At home, I’ve played this piece, hundreds of times before,
But my fingers just don’t seem to want to work any more.

At my mistakes, I’m now feeling really rather frustrated,
And deep inside, my spirit is now, somewhat, deflated.
At home, feeling relaxed, I played these pieces just fine;
Now my fingers, no longer feel as though they are even mine.

Next up, the examiner asks me to play some scales and chords;
To make too many errors, in this section, I can very ill afford.
But, I hardly falter, and I get all of them, pretty much, right;
I feel extremely relieved, and the end of the exam is in sight.

Finally, I’m presented with a short piece of sight reading;
‘Nothing too difficult’ – in my mind, I’m, silently, pleading.
The examiner thanks me for coming, and I am now free to go.
How well I did, I now have to wait a few more weeks, to know.