they did get their music. , At Monday’s rehearsal

they did get their music. ,

At Monday’s rehearsal they were told they would all be on stage and actually playing. In fact Mr. Sims and Ms. Whitford would be playing too. -

“We’re haying a good time,” Mr. Sims reported Monday night. “All these girls were swooning over Clarence Clemons. We got good camraderie going today. The kids are getting a taste of what it’s like to produce something this big.” He said they found themselves with high school musicians from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, a group of about 150.

On Tuesday morning he had to leave home at 4 a.m. to pick up students in Fauquier and drive into Washington for a rehearsal at 7:15, a.m., their first run through of the entire show. They had lunch and then waited in a crowded rehearsal room until their actual performance at 3:30.

They were advised to bring tape players, cards and hand-held video games to use while waiting. The show was taped and shown on the Disney channel at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Tucker stayed with his grandparents in Northern Virginia and rode the subway into and out of the city. Michael rode back and forth from the county. On Monday they met Will Smith, television’s Fresh Prince of Bellaire, the host for the show, and Clarence Clemons.

Tucker said he had an easy time memorizing the piece during his subway ride. They came into the concert hall playing the piece as they walked down the aisles and up onto the stage. They were dressed like the Blues Brothers with dark suits, white shirts, loosened ties and dark sunglasses.

“It’s fun with all the hype around it,” Tucker reported. “You don’t have time to get nervous. It’s cool to see all these different kinds of players.”

At the end of a long day Michael said the experience was worth it. “It was a one-time -opportunity for me,” he added.