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Authors: Nancy Krulik

Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade? (11 page)

BOOK: Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade?

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The teachers' lounge.
There was no one in there! She raced down the hall.

Katie hurried into the lounge and slammed the door shut. She hid behind the couchâjust in case Mr. Kane tried to look for her in there. She was way down the hall from the band room, but she could still hear the kids practicing, just like she'd told them to. They sounded awful! No wonder all the teachers had been complaining.

Then she heard loud, angry footsteps coming down the hall. That had to be Mr. Kane. What a mess the magic wind had gotten her into this time.

Just then, Katie felt a cool breeze on the back of her neck. She knew what that meant.

The magic wind had returned!

The wind picked up speed. Before long, a full-power tornado was swirling rapidly around Katie. She closed her eyes tight as the magic wind turned faster and faster. It spun her around like a top.

And then it stopped. Just like that.

Katie Kazoo was back.

But where was Mr. Starkey?

Katie heard a loud noise coming from the band room.

Oh, no! Mr. Starkey was in trouble.

Big
trouble!

Chapter 19

Katie raced out of the teachers' lounge and darted down the hall. She reached the band room just moments after Mr. Kane did. She could hear the principal speaking angrily to Mr. Starkey.

“What a racket!” he shouted. “Haven't you been able to teach these children anything?”

“They know âHot Cross Buns,' ” Mr. Starkey told him nervously. “We've been working very hard on it.”

“That didn't sound at all like âHot Cross Buns' to me,” Mr. Kane insisted.

“That's because we were playing âYankee Doodle,' ” Kadeem interrupted. “It's a hard song. Most of us haven't learned all the notes yet.”

“Then why were they playing it?” Mr. Kane asked Mr. Starkey.

“They weren't,” he replied.

“Yes, we were,” Kadeem insisted.

“Well, I mean, they were, but they shouldn't have been. They must have . . . oh, I don't know. It's all so fuzzy.” The music teacher sounded very confused.

“Mr. Starkey, you and I will discuss this later,” Mr. Kane said angrily. “As for you, children, everyone in this band must add an extra sixty minutes of instrument practice a day to his or her homework.”

George gasped. “That's an extra hour . . .”

“A day!” Kevin finished his thought.

“Yes. Every day. Without fail. That's what you'll have to do if you want to stay in the band,” Mr. Kane told them.

George slipped out of his tuba. “Then I'm out of here!”

“Me too,” Kevin agreed. He took his trumpet and walked out of the band room.

“Hey, you guys, wait for me!” Kadeem added, running after them.

“I don't have time for an hour a day of practicingânot with soccer and everything,” Jeremy told Mr. Starkey as he handed him his drumsticks.

“Jeremy, wait for me,” Becky called, running after him.

Emma W. couldn't handle the new rule, either. “I'm sorry, Mr. Starkey,” she said sweetly as she left the room. “I have a lot of chores at home. It was hard enough for me to fit in fifteen minutes a day.”

Mr. Kane looked around the empty band room. “Well, that's that,” he told the music teacher. “You'll have to focus your attention on the fifth and sixth-grade performing groups. I hope you have better luck with them. I was hoping to have a musical group perform at the all-school picnic this year.”

The principal stormed out of the room. Mr. Starkey was left alone, wondering what had happened.

Chapter 20

That afternoon, Katie went to Jeremy's house to play. George, Becky, and Kevin came along too.

“Wow, Katie, you really missed it,” Jeremy told her. “Mr. Kane was so mad.”

“Imagine him wanting us to practice an hour a day. Fifteen minutes was plenty,” George added.

“The band's lousy, anyway,” Kevin added. “Mr. Starkey's a crummy conductor.”

Katie frowned. Everything that had happened in band today had been her faultânot Mr. Starkey's. Of course, she couldn't tell her friends that.

“Mr. Starkey's just plain chicken,” George continued. “He let Mr. Kane yell at us when it was all his fault.”

“He acted like he didn't even know why we were playing âYankee Doodle,' ” Becky agreed.

“I'm glad I'm out of the band,” Jeremy said. “Music's for geeks like Mr. Starkey.”

“Now that I don't have to practice my French horn, I can spend more time on my gymnastics,” Becky agreed. She did a perfect cartwheel. “Gymnastics isn't for geeks.”

Now Katie felt really bad. Not only had the kids all quit the band, but now they hated music too. This was awful!

“We sounded so horrible,” Jeremy continued. “It hurt my ears.
AROOOOO!
” He howled like a dog in pain.

Becky laughed and howled too. “Hey, maybe we can do a howling duet at the all-school picnic,” she joked.

George covered his ears. “Maybe
not
,” he told her.

“The all-school picnic! That's it!” Katie shouted out suddenly. She leaped up and began to run back toward Cherrydale Elementary School.

“Where are you going?” Jeremy called after her.

But Katie didn't answer. She didn't have time. She had to save the fourth-grade beginning band!

Mr. Starkey was in the band room putting away some sheet music when Katie arrived at the door. He looked up at her and sighed.

“Are you giving up the clarinet too?” he asked.

Katie shook her head. “No way. Music's fun.”

“You're the only fourth-grader who seems to think so.” Mr. Starkey shook his head. “I can't believe the kids don't love playing their instruments. Music is the greatest thing there is. And musicians are really cool people.”

“But none of us have ever met a real musician,” Katie replied.

“
I'm
a musician,” Mr. Starkey reminded her.

“Yeah, but we think of you as a teacher. The kids at school have never seen you drum with the Downhill Slide.”

“How did you know about my band?”

Katie gulped. “I . . . um . . . er . . . I just heard about it,” she said quickly. “Anyway, I bet the kids would think music was awesome if they could see you in a tie-dyed shirt, drumming with a rock and roll band. You could even wear an earring.”

“How did you know I used to wear an earring?”

Katie sighed. Mr. Starkey was missing the point. “I just think if you and your band were to play at the picnic, the kids would see how cool music could be. Then maybe . . .”

“Maybe they'd join the beginning band again,” Mr. Starkey finished her thought. He shrugged. “It's worth a try, I guess.”

“Then you'll do it?” Katie asked excitedly.

“Sure. Why not? The guys and I always love playing for a live audience. Even if your plan doesn't work, we'll have a fun afternoon.”

“Oh, it will work,” Katie assured him. “It just has to.”

Chapter 21

“Katie, I can't believe you won't try this fried chicken,” Suzanne said between bites of her drumstick at the all-school picnic. “It's unbelievable.”

“You know I don't eat anything that ever had a face,” Katie reminded her.

“Come on, Katie. One bite,” Suzanne waved the drumstick in the air.

Mr. Guthrie was walking by while the girls were talking. He turned and smiled at Katie. “Don't let her tease you, Katie Kazoo,” he said. “I'm a vegetarian too. Have you tried the corn on the cob?”

Katie smiled. It might have sounded funny if a different teacher had called her Katie Kazoo. But Katie was getting used to the fact that Mr. G. was no ordinary teacher.

“You vegetarians don't know what you're missing,” Suzanne told them both. She took another huge bite of chicken and looked up at the stage. Drums, microphones, and electric guitars were all set up there. “I wonder who this mystery band is.”

Katie smiled. For once, she knew something before Suzanne did. “You'll find out soon,” she told her. “The sign said they'd be going on at two-thirty. It's almost that time now.”

Sure enough, a few moments later, Mr. Kane took to the stage. “Is everyone having fun?” he shouted into a microphone.

“YEAH!” the crowd of kids, teachers, and parents all shouted back to him.

“That's great!” the principal cheered. “Now get ready to dance. Please welcome the Downhill Slide, featuring our own Mr. Starkey on drums!”

Mr. Starkey and his band ran onto the stage and began playing one of their rock songs.

All the kids rushed to the chairs and sat down in front of the stage.

BOOK: Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade?

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