As he clapped the cymbals together in perfect form, the handle falls off of the one in his right hand and crashes to the ground. After some confusion and some giggles from the drummers, his next move totally makes the whole performance. In the military, they call this “officer thinking”.

If you’re a musician, this is your worst nightmare. The handle breaks off the cymbal in mid-performance, and it falls to the ground. All eyes are on you.

There is absolutely no way to retrieve it and make it work. Worst of all, this isn’t any ordinary song. This is the National Anthem! What to do?

This school band had quite a mishap in the middle of performing the National Anthem. The cymbals player faced a crisis like a true patriot. The result was one of the best acts of improvisation ever. I doubt a professional musician would have thought of this.

As he clapped the cymbals together in perfect form, the handle falls off of the one in his right hand and crashes to the ground. After some confusion and some giggles from the drummers, his next move totally makes the whole performance. In the military, they call this “officer thinking”.

What would you do in this situation? Thinking quickly he solved the problem and came out a true hero and an American patriot. What a brilliant kid. I can watch this over and over… this kid will go far in life. Quick thinking.

Also, let’s give credit to the whole crew. All of the musicians in this performance were extremely professional for any age. “The show must go on” as they say. Nobody missed a beat. Their music teacher deserves a lot of credit, too, for instilling such professionalism and dedication in these young musicians.

Watch this video to see how this patriotic cymbals player reacts in this crisis moment. I love what this young man does. Congrats kid, you handled that like a boss! All performers have moments like this. All that matters is how you handle it.