Piper Chen Sings

Piper loves to sing. She sings at home, going up the stairs, and when she hops around. She sings to the birds and the frogs. She sings with her grandma when they make dumplings. In school, she hums when looking for books to read. In her favorite music class, the teacher asks if she would like to sing solo at the Spring Concert. Piper said " Yes" excitedly. But then she got frightened and couldn't practice singing well. She felt nervous. Nai Nai noticed and asked her what was wrong. Piper told her about singing solo at the Spring Concert and that she felt like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. Nai Nai said " Huidie" which means butterfly in Chinese. Nai Nai experienced butterflies in her stomach, too, when she was nervous or in a brand-new situation, such as a first piano recital or when she arrived in America for the first time. She told Piper to accept the butterflies and stay strong to sing. Piper sang very well at the Spring Concert.

I get very nervous when I play piano at school performances or when I join chess tournaments. I understand how Piper feels. I will learn from her how to keep calm when butterflies flutter in my stomach and perform my best.