Un ensayo con sorpresas
A rehearsal with surprises
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
El miércoles por la tarde, Lucía llegó a la escuela de música con su celular en la mano. Había leído un mensaje del profesor antes de salir de casa. "Hoy ensayamos para la feria", decía. Ella sonrió porque le gustaba cantar con el grupo. Tomás ya estaba en el salón y afinaba su guitarra.
El profesor pidió que todos revisaran la letra. Luego explicó que la canción tenía una parte rápida y otra más suave. "No corran", dijo. "Escuchen el ritmo y entren ahora, sin miedo". Lucía practicó la primera estrofa dos veces. Tomás marcó el compás con el pie y le dijo: "Así suena bien".
Más tarde, probaron la pista de acompañamiento en la computadora. Lucía escuchó un ruido raro y levantó la mano. "Profesor, el sonido está atrasado", dijo. Todos se quedaron callados. El profesor miró la pantalla y descubrió el problema. El archivo no era el correcto. Habían abierto una versión vieja de la canción.
Tomás buscó el archivo nuevo en el correo y lo encontró enseguida. Lucía lo pasó a la computadora y probó otra vez. Ahora la base sonaba limpia. El profesor respiró tranquilo y dijo: "Eso está mejor. Ahora sí vamos a trabajar en serio". Lucía se rió nerviosa, pero ya no estaba preocupada.
Antes de terminar, el grupo ensayó la entrada final. Lucía escuchó a Tomás, tomó aire y cantó fuerte. Esta vez no se equivocó. Cuando acabaron, el profesor levantó el pulgar. "Muy bien, muchachos", dijo. Lucía salió al patio contenta. La feria sería la semana siguiente, y ella ya se sentía lista.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
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con su celular en la mano
with her cell phone in her handA common way to say that someone is holding their phone.
Entró con su celular en la mano y saludó a todos.
She came in with her cell phone in her hand and greeted everyone.
entren ahora
come in nowA direction to several people to begin their part in the music now.
Usage: In music, "entren ahora" tells performers to start playing or singing. In other contexts, it can tell people to enter a place.
Después de la guitarra, entren ahora con las voces.
After the guitar, come in now with the vocals.
Tomás marcó el compás con el pie
Tomás kept the beat with his footUseful for describing how someone follows the rhythm of music.
Mientras sonaba la canción, ella marcó el compás con el pie.
While the song played, she kept the beat with her foot.
el sonido está atrasado
the sound is delayedA practical phrase for technical audio problems.
En el video, el sonido está atrasado y no coincide con la imagen.
In the video, the sound is delayed and does not match the image.
lo encontró enseguida
found it right awayDescribes finding something after a very short search.
Ana buscó el documento y lo encontró enseguida.
Ana looked for the document and found it right away.
ya se sentía lista
she already felt readyA simple way to show that someone has gained confidence after practice.
Después de practicar, ya se sentía lista para hablar.
After practicing, she already felt ready to speak.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
On Wednesday afternoon, Lucía arrived at the music school with her cell phone in her hand. She had read a message from the teacher before leaving home. "Today we rehearse for the fair," it said. She smiled because she liked singing with the group. Tomás was already in the room and tuning his guitar.
The teacher asked everyone to check the lyrics. Then he explained that the song had a fast part and a softer one. "Don’t rush," he said. "Listen to the rhythm and come in now, without fear." Lucía practiced the first verse twice. Tomás kept the beat with his foot and told her: "It sounds good like that."
Later, they tried the backing track on the computer. Lucía heard a strange noise and raised her hand. "Teacher, the sound is delayed," she said. Everyone fell silent. The teacher looked at the screen and found the problem. The file was not the correct one. They had opened an old version of the song.
Tomás looked for the new file in the email and found it right away. Lucía moved it to the computer and tried again. Now the backing track sounded clear. The teacher breathed easily and said: "That is better. Now we are really going to work seriously." Lucía laughed nervously, but she was no longer worried.
Before finishing, the group rehearsed the final entrance. Lucía listened to Tomás, took a breath, and sang loudly. This time she did not make a mistake. When they finished, the teacher gave a thumbs-up. "Very good, guys," he said. Lucía went out to the courtyard happy. The fair would be the following week, and she already felt ready.