11

Adam, Ryan, and Jack were in the living room when Johnny came home from school. "Hey Johnny!" said Jack. "Where are the girls?"

"Still at school. They have a club meeting, they're gonna be late home tonight," Johnny replied, sounding slightly sad.

"I have an idea that will cheer you up," said Ryan. "Why don't you help us write and record a new song? We could really use the help."

"Really?!" replied Johnny, with sparkles in his eyes. "You want me to help you write a song for AJR, your band?"

"Sure, get over here man," said Adam as he, Ryan, and Jack moved over to make room for Johnny on the couch. "We'll start brainstorming ideas right now while you're listening."

"Great! Let's see... I think this would be great..." began Ryan.

In the back of Adam's mind, a voice sounded like 'He's too excited!' But Adam pushed the thought away and continued working on writing down ideas for the new song.

"Hey Johnny, would you be able to play a few of your instruments for the song?" asked Jack.

"Sure, which instruments?" replied Johnny.

"Umm... How about the tenor saxophone? Or the clarinet?"

"That could work, let me think..." Johnny thought for a minute, then replied, "Yeah, sure. What clarinet would you like me to play?"

"Maybe the Basset Clarinet, yeah. Maybe add a brass instrument as well, like the tuba?" suggested Jack.

"All right!" Johnny said excitedly as he ran off to get his Tenor Saxophone, Basset Clarinet, and Tuba. Johnny came back with his Yamaha YTS-875EXG Tenor Saxophone, Buffet Crampon Prestige Basset Clarinet, and Yamaha YBB-841G B Flat Tuba. He set all his instruments on the coffee table in front of him and sat down next to Adam.

"Okay, so what do I play?" asked Johnny, looking at Jack, Ryan, and Adam for an answer.

Adam handed him a sheet of paper with notes on it, and Johnny started playing.

They had just finished writing the lyrics to the song when Adam noticed something. "Who's going to sing the main vocals of the song?" asked Adam.

"Johnny should," replied Jack.

"I second Jack," said Ryan.

"What?" said Johnny, surprised. "I-I-I can't sing, especially on one of your songs. My singing is terrible!"

"No, no, you can do it, we know you can," said Adam, reassuringly. "Just give it a try, okay?"

Johnny nodded reluctantly. It took him a couple of minutes to warm up, but eventually, he began to sing in a confident way, as though he were the lead singer in a rock band and not just a high school sophomore. Then, out of nowhere, he got into the tempo of the song.

As Johnny got to the chorus, Adam, Jack, and Ryan sang along in harmony with Johnny. They were able to record all the parts. After finishing the song, they all looked at each other and smiled.

"Wow guys! That was amazing! You guys really pulled off the whole song," said Johnny with a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah, it was good," replied Ryan with a smile.

"You did amazing, Johnny," Adam said softly, putting his hand on Johnny's shoulder.

"Thanks, Adam. I'm glad you liked it," Johnny replied with another smile.