With Halloween out of the way, the time for scares and sweets is replaced with holiday cheer… and more sweets. Stores around the country already have their Christmas decorations out and are selling the surplus off to the rest of us, Mariah Carey has completed her annual hibernation in order to take over every radio station on the planet, and everyone is feeling the spirit of winter a bit too much as temperatures plummet ever-further! And, as always, the Music Department of Ashville College prepare for one of the busiest times of the year. We’ve already had the Informal Woodwind Concert, and that’s just the beginning as December is looking to be packed with action.
First up, we’ve got the Year 5 and 6 Christmas Concert in the Harrogate Convention Center on the 2nd of December, 6:00pm. I’m sure everyone in Prep will be excited for that, especially since it’ll give a much needed break from the ABRSM exams that same day.
Next, on the 4th, we’ve got the first of 3 Nativities, this one being the Reception Nativity. As for the Big Acorns Nativity, it’s on the 7th. I’m sure anyone with younger siblings in Pre-Prep will be looking forward to this as it may even bring back some distant memories; all of us who’ve been here since Reception remember our first Nativity, whether we were the narrator who kept correcting people during the show (me) or the shepherd in the incredibly itchy wool costumes (also me)! ‘Nativities are always a vital part of the celebrations and are exciting both to the children and their parents,’ shares Miss Wilby, ‘and you could even say it is a rite of passage!’ But that’s not all from our youngest group, as the Little Acorns are taking part in a Christmas Sing on the 5th!
Of course, we can’t forget the Ensembles Concert, which includes all of the Senior School’s best performers (including me), also on the 4th – see you there! I’m personally excited for this as I can’t wait to show people what we’ve been working on during this term. Miss Wilby has told me that she sees the Concert as ‘a great moment where we hear all of the hard work taken by the students and staff come to fruition.’
Finally, we have our annual carol services – first, the Wesley Chapel Carol Service at 6:30pm, Sunday 10th, and then one of Ashville’s biggest musical events of the year as we all get to experience the grandeur of Ripon Cathedral (not to mention getting the afternoon off, but that’s besides the point) on the 13th. To top it all off, we’ve got one last Nativity (I was wondering where the third one got to!) presented by the always-professional Year 1 and 2 on the 14th, providing an exciting finale to the term and some fond memories to look back upon during the holidays.
Well, that’s all from me – I’ve got to get back to rehearsing my part. Thanks for reading and may your all your Christmases be merry!