Friday, December 16, 2005
The kids are alright
Last night the family and I went out after work to attend the "Winter Holiday Concert" at the kids' school. Kathy is part of the 8th grade choir, so as parents we didn't have much choice. If either of my readers have children, they will understand perfectly. If your kid is in the band or choir, you go to every concert - no matter how horrible they sound in the beginning.
As is the case with most schools where the parents are actually involved, the parents all pretty much know each other. The crowd of usual suspects was gathered in the auditorium well before the beginning of the concert. We were there 30 minutes early and noticed something odd about this concert: no programs. Casually listening around the room, I found that most of the conversation centered on how sad it was that the kids weren't allowed to actually celebrate Christmas at school anymore. I would be willing to wager that you can't find the word 'Christmas' anywhere in the official literature of the school your children attend unless it is a private religious school. Even this concert was the "Winter Holiday Concert" - not a "Christmas Concert" like we had when I was in school. The consensus of the crowd seemed to be that we would hear Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and a whole bunch of obscure, non-denominational winter festival music, with several Kwanzaa songs that our predominantly white and hispanic population had never heard of thrown in for good measure. All in the name of tolerance and diversity, of course. Tolerance of everything except traditional Christian values and ideas, that is.
The kids took the stage a few minutes late (which is normal at every school function I've ever seen), followed by their twenty-something music teacher who thanked the crowd for coming to the Winter Holiday concert and introduced the 5th and 6th grade choir. As expected, we were treated to some surprisingly good renditions of Rudolph and Jingle Bells (sung as a round...the new teacher is much better than the tone deaf idiot they had last year) and then the kids and the teacher seemed to pause on stage. A hush settled over the crowd as if everyone knew something was coming. The teacher raised her arms, and on the down beat a chorus of pure young voices welled out from the stage.
Silent night, Holy night...
I've never seen the audience at a middle school choir concert burst into applause at the beginning of a song before. It was wonderful.
From that point on, it was a genuine Christmas concert. Between the two choirs and the school band we were treated to 'Do You Hear What I Hear', 'Joy To The World', 'What Child Is This', 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', 'Deck the Halls', 'God Rest You Merry Gentlemen', 'Feliz Navidad', and a joyous (and somewhat defiant, I might add) combined choir and band rendition of 'O Come All Ye Faithfull.'' There were a few unknown winter festival songs thrown in to show that the teachers really could teach, but overall this was the closest thing to the Christmas concerts I remember from my youth that I've heard in years.
It was wonderful. The kids enjoyed it. The parents enjoyed it. Isn't that what's supposed to happen?
Afterward my wife and I made a point of thanking the band and choir teachers for having the guts to actually put on a Christmas concert. The young lady said that they "went as far as they could without getting into trouble."
That statement makes me both sad and proud......sad that we have allowed the pc police to invade our culture as far as they have, and proud that there are still people who will push the envelope to do what they think is right.
Who ever thought that singing Christmas carols would be considered pushing the envelope?
Merry Christmas, y'all.
_
As is the case with most schools where the parents are actually involved, the parents all pretty much know each other. The crowd of usual suspects was gathered in the auditorium well before the beginning of the concert. We were there 30 minutes early and noticed something odd about this concert: no programs. Casually listening around the room, I found that most of the conversation centered on how sad it was that the kids weren't allowed to actually celebrate Christmas at school anymore. I would be willing to wager that you can't find the word 'Christmas' anywhere in the official literature of the school your children attend unless it is a private religious school. Even this concert was the "Winter Holiday Concert" - not a "Christmas Concert" like we had when I was in school. The consensus of the crowd seemed to be that we would hear Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and a whole bunch of obscure, non-denominational winter festival music, with several Kwanzaa songs that our predominantly white and hispanic population had never heard of thrown in for good measure. All in the name of tolerance and diversity, of course. Tolerance of everything except traditional Christian values and ideas, that is.
The kids took the stage a few minutes late (which is normal at every school function I've ever seen), followed by their twenty-something music teacher who thanked the crowd for coming to the Winter Holiday concert and introduced the 5th and 6th grade choir. As expected, we were treated to some surprisingly good renditions of Rudolph and Jingle Bells (sung as a round...the new teacher is much better than the tone deaf idiot they had last year) and then the kids and the teacher seemed to pause on stage. A hush settled over the crowd as if everyone knew something was coming. The teacher raised her arms, and on the down beat a chorus of pure young voices welled out from the stage.
Silent night, Holy night...
I've never seen the audience at a middle school choir concert burst into applause at the beginning of a song before. It was wonderful.
From that point on, it was a genuine Christmas concert. Between the two choirs and the school band we were treated to 'Do You Hear What I Hear', 'Joy To The World', 'What Child Is This', 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', 'Deck the Halls', 'God Rest You Merry Gentlemen', 'Feliz Navidad', and a joyous (and somewhat defiant, I might add) combined choir and band rendition of 'O Come All Ye Faithfull.'' There were a few unknown winter festival songs thrown in to show that the teachers really could teach, but overall this was the closest thing to the Christmas concerts I remember from my youth that I've heard in years.
It was wonderful. The kids enjoyed it. The parents enjoyed it. Isn't that what's supposed to happen?
Afterward my wife and I made a point of thanking the band and choir teachers for having the guts to actually put on a Christmas concert. The young lady said that they "went as far as they could without getting into trouble."
That statement makes me both sad and proud......sad that we have allowed the pc police to invade our culture as far as they have, and proud that there are still people who will push the envelope to do what they think is right.
Who ever thought that singing Christmas carols would be considered pushing the envelope?
Merry Christmas, y'all.
_
