Concert Completed - Post-Show Thoughts

 Wednesday, December 13, 2023 was our school concert. The afternoon and evening performances were the culmination of months of rehearsals and preparation. We continued some of the procedures we experimented with at our March 2023 concert and it went well.

I wish I could share more photos from the actual event, but there are too many faces to block out to make it suitable for sharing online. I hope this single shot that I've edited, originally taken by our wonderful French teacher, Mme Tran, gives you an idea of the energy emanating from the stage.

This photo is a scene from the 4-class mega-skit based on the improvisational game they love so much, Toy Store. This number had the potential to be a disaster because of all the moving parts, but it actually went quite well, thanks to the teachers helping to supervise backstage and the focus that most of the students had when performing. This was especially important during our matinee, because in the middle of their act, there was a medical emergency. It happened while the "toys" were frozen on stage, just before music started to indicate their dance. Thankfully, there was a paramedic in the audience and the situation was dealt with quickly. Still, our students stayed unmoving, waiting for their cue, for a lot longer than I thought they were capable of remaining still. We carried on with the show ("the show must go on") with most of the children unaware that something unexpected had occurred.

A lot of planning goes into a concert, but we weren't planned for something like this. We are so grateful that everyone was okay and no one seemed traumatized by the unforeseen event.

There are some reflections that are meant just for the concert committee (or even smaller subgroups). We had to make a last-minute alteration to one of the acts, which made sense but did induce some extra stress. Big thanks to those who were brave enough to notice and mention the potential issue, as well as to those who shifted their schedules and used their crafty construction skills to pull off the switch. 

The finale of our show was an incredible feat of organization and a powerful visual and sound experience for those who got to witness it in person. The entire school learned a song called "Let Love Light the Way" and they sang it all together in the gym as the last performance of the evening. Imagine seeing rows and rows of students, from ones that have only recently left their toddler years to ones entering their teen era, all singing in union the chorus:

So come walk with me / Sing along, and you'll see

On this holiday / Let love light the way

You'll need nothing more / Than those you adore

On this holiday / Let love light the way

This wasn't really a holiday concert, or even a winter concert. The focus was on the many ways that people show love. The families enjoyed the show and the students are still singing and humming the songs they learned.

I saw this image on Facebook and had to copy it as the "finale" to this blog post. I don't think we realize how exhausting concert prep can be. Our show was on Wednesday and I was still dragging my behind on Friday. (I came home after 5:00 pm, ate dinner, went to bed at 6:00 pm and didn't arise completely until 9:00 am on Saturday. That's how tired I was.) Multiply this tenfold for the leader of our concert, Connie Chan. She (and her husband, a fellow music teacher) was actually sick the weekend before the concert and missed school on Monday, but was back running the dress rehearsal and shows. She deserves a lot of credit for the success of the concert.