But when Maya started to play, something felt wrong. The acoustics of the concert hall were different from what she was used to. The piano was more sensitive than the one she had been practicing on. The sound seemed to echo strangely around the huge space.
Maya made several small mistakes during her rehearsal. Nothing major, but enough to make her feel worried about the real performance. When she finished playing, the other musicians applauded politely, but Maya could tell that some of them looked concerned.
"Don't worry about the mistakes," Sarah told Maya afterward. "It's normal to feel nervous during the dress rehearsal. Tomorrow night will be better."
But Maya was not convinced. She had never played in such a large space before, and she was not sure she could adjust to the different acoustics in time for the performance.
That evening, Maya had dinner with her family before the big concert. Her parents, Sam, and even her grandmother had come to the city to watch her perform. They were all excited and proud, but Maya was feeling more anxious than ever.
"What if I make mistakes during the actual performance?" Maya asked her family. "What if I embarrass myself in front of all those people?"
"Maya, you have worked harder for this than anyone," her father said. "You deserve to be on that stage. Just play from your heart like you always do."
But Maya's confidence was shaken. She kept thinking about the dress rehearsal and how different everything had felt. She also kept thinking about Victor Holbrook, who would be watching from backstage during her performance.
The next morning, Maya woke up feeling sick to her stomach. The concert was that evening, and she was terrified. She tried to practice on the piano at home, but her fingers felt stiff and uncooperative. Everything that had felt natural and easy during her months of practice now felt forced and difficult.
Mrs. Rodriguez came to Maya's house in the afternoon to help her prepare mentally for the performance. "Maya, I can see that you are scared," her teacher said. "That is completely normal. Every professional musician feels nervous before important performances."
"But what if I forget the music?" Maya asked. "What if my fingers don't work properly? What if people laugh at me?"