Only one more day to go!

This time tomorrow the kids will have broken up! Yippppppeeeeeeeee!! I think I might just be getting some of that Christmas cheer at last, though it may have more to do with no school runs and activities than goodwill to all men. But I’m trying for that as well!

Last night’s Christmas concert was an odd affair. Only the year 7 parents were invited, and yet the year 7’s only sang two songs – which worked out at about fifteen minutes. Seeing as the concert lasted for two and three-quarter hours, you can probably see why I’m confused.

It was basically just a musical concert (and a few drama mimes, yet to figure out why) though a couple of the groups did Christmas tunes, but not many. Having got great seats at the front, I quickly discovered why these aren’t necessary when listening to live bands.

The first drum solo was excellent, the second was good, the third pleasant, the fourth loud, and by the fifth I thought I was going to start screaming my head was splitting that badly. It wasn’t just the noise, I could feel every damn beat! And at the interval we moved seats to the back, which was a whole lot better as the piano and drums didn’t blot out everything else.

Some of the boys were very good, but I think the music department likes to encourage everyone and therefore lets anyone who wants to play have a go. Dear heavens. Some of the parents must be saints. Or deaf. Either way I’m mighty glad R plays the guitar and not the violin or trombone. But I mustn’t moan as they apparently have forty kids playing the drums at the moment and they only let a dozen or so loose upon us!

My vicar’s son did a wonderful sax solo, and some of the groups were good with one twelve year old on a fast track to being a pop star – though I got the impression he wasn’t jumping around as much as he wanted to with us as the audience. And the stars of the evening were a band of sixteen year olds. Except you wouldn’t know they were sixteen by the look of them! Dressed straight from the seventies (or so it appeared to me, but apparently it's the fashion of today) they acted as roadies for everyone else (I swear kids weren’t so generous when I was young, or maybe that was just me?!), then performed the finale. I can’t get over how confident they were, or how good. I won’t mention the band name here because I reckon sixteen year olds would probably google too much, but when they become famous I’ll let you know.

All things considered it was a good night, except some fool (the music teacher) gave the microphone to the Deputy Head as the evening wound down. I groaned as soon as he stepped up and after several minutes I asked the BH if he had actually said anything yet. The BH grinned and pointed out the DH had yet to thank the teachers, the boys, the parents, the church, the piano players, the sound guy, the roadies, etc, etc. And of course each required a round of applause. The end of the evening was s—l—o—w, but he got there in the end!

Hey-ho, just one more concert tonight!