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"Luckily I had memorized it," she said.
It was more than luck, according to Klink, who urges her students to memorize their songs and play before an audience.
"Piano Man" was meant to be sung higher, Nora said, but she brought her voice down to match her vocal range, a skill she learned from Florence Gibson, music teacher at St. Bridget Elementary School, where she sings in the choir and plays the trumpet.
Nora wished her recital performance had been more perfect.
"I think I made one mistake," she said, wiggling her right pinkie finger. "I think I hit an F instead of a G."
Nora's solo was one of 33 acts performed before a standing-room-only audience in the sanctuary of St. Louis Christian Church on St. Louis Street. She also performed a duet of "Heart and Soul" with fellow pianist Chelsey Gilmore.
Klink and her three teachers, Miriam Schnur, Rachel Maxwell and Paris Nicole Smith, helped the musicians prepare to perform their favorite songs - an eclectic mix that ranged from Beethoven to the Beatles, and included both children and adults.
Brenda Wiesehan designed the program and conducted one-minute video interviews of each of the acts after the show.
Klink's penchant for encouraging young musicians to play more than one instrument and sing while they play was exhibited in 11-year-old Ethan Trokey, who has been taking lessons for 18 months and performed in five of the 33 acts.
Ethan, whose goal is to play before a million people, said the large crowd at the recital "felt really good."
For this show, Ethan performed a Black and Blue barrel percussion routine, played the drums with a rock group rendition of "American Pie" and sang a funky Roy Orbison-style rendition of "Sweet Dreams."
Returning to Klink's recital stage, singer-songwriter Dylan Mendenall accompanied himself on the guitar singing his own song "First Day of My Life." Mendenall also plays cover tunes with fellow musicians Vince Bandermann, Caleb Mulford and Brendan Wiesehan.
Mendenall and his band also hope to be famous some day.
"Kids that excel at music are not always the kids who excel at sports or academics," Klink told the audience. "But sometimes they are. We get a wide range of hairdos and hats at our studio, but their music makes each one of them unique."
Klink is offering eight-week elementary and junior high/high school summer art camps and a World Percussion Camp in June and July for ages 10 through adults.
For details call Cindy Klink at 314-307-4471.
