Imagine being in middle school, facing a predicament in front of a large audience.
This was the reality for a young band member from Illinois who encountered a mishap during a concert.
With dozens of eyes trained on him, he had to make a snap decision.
His recovery? Well, it’s a moment that has been replayed over 11 million times for a reason.
Band in school demands a great deal of hard work and commitment, and often involves performing in front of parents, teachers, and peers, which can be quite intimidating.
The incident in question took place at the EJH Red & White Concert.
The band member to watch out for is the cymbals player.
The concert kicked off with the children preparing to perform our national anthem.
As it was announced over the microphone, everyone stood up and turned their attention towards the flag in a show of respect.
The students began to play the patriotic song on their instruments.
While most of them were seated, the cymbalist, along with a few others, stood front and center behind the flag.
Every now and then, the boy would strike his cymbals with a resounding crash.
They had practiced this routine countless times, so he knew exactly when to do so.
Things were progressing smoothly until the seventh crash.
Suddenly, one of the cymbal’s handles broke off, and the instrument clattered loudly to the floor.
We can only imagine the panic he must have felt at that moment, his mind likely echoing with a resounding “Nooooo!”
The children standing next to him seemed to empathize with their classmate’s predicament.
Even as they continued to play their drums, they kept stealing glances in his direction, probably feeling relieved that they weren’t in his shoes.
So, how does a cymbalist recover in a situation like this?
After all, you can’t exactly play the cymbals with just one cymbal.
His response was both ingenious and heartwarming.
The boy slowly bent down and placed his remaining cymbal on the floor.
His eyes were as wide as saucers, but then it dawned on him what to do.
He saluted the American flag.
For the remainder of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the cymbalist stood like a statue facing the flag, saluting it with respect.
He managed to transform an embarrassing situation into a moment of recovery.
While the female drummer next to him couldn’t contain her giggles, most other people applauded the middle-schooler for his patriotic gesture.
The clip quickly went viral after being posted online.
The “cymbal fail” elicited a wave of positive comments.
One man wrote, “Congrats kid, you handled that like a boss! Saluting the flag was exactly what you should have done.
All performers have moments like this.
All that matters is how you handle it.”
Another person shared, “That kid has my respect. Even though it broke on him gotta give him props he was calm and acted like he knew what he was doing.”
What began as a potentially embarrassing situation turned into a moment that won the internet’s heart.
Watch how he wins over the internet in the video below!
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