Jack's freckles did not hide the steadiness in his face. "I am auditioning."
Principal Harrison's eyebrows rose a fraction. "For piano?"
Jack nodded once.
Principal Harrison glanced toward the registration table, then back at the boy. "This academy gets a lot of hopeful children." He paused, as if the next sentence had been waiting in his mouth for years. "Hope and preparation aren't the same thing."
Jack said nothing.
"The scholarship panel is for serious students," Principal Harrison continued.
"I know."
"Then you understand why this isn't a place to experiment."