Blog
What Christmas means to me
In the words of the Stevie Wonder classic, “Candles burnin' low, lots of mistletoe, lots of snow and ice, everywhere we go.” Is that what Christmas means to me? The answer has to be no. I’m sorry Stevie, but you missed the mark there. However, the verse continues “Choirs singing carols, right outside my door…”
There you have it. Well, maybe not right outside my door, but certainly the singing. If you are involved in the Music Department at Valley Park, Christmas means two things; Jingle Bell Rock and the Carol Service. Christmas doesn’t start with an advent calendar in December, or even with Christmas stock in the supermarkets in November. Christmas starts when we return to school in September.
This can often lead to some bizarre experiences; it's peculiar to be singing “In the Bleak Midwinter” on a warm, sunny, late summer’s afternoon. In a usual year though, as the days shorten and the nights draw in, rehearsals intensify and we see a huge commitment of time from the music students, striving to make these two events even better than the previous year. As teachers, we are so proud of what the wonderfully talented young people that we work with are able to achieve. Events like these are at the heart of why we do this job.
We always knew that this year would be different. Who would have ever thought that singing would be classified as a high-risk activity? Skiing? Definitely a dangerous winter pastime, but singing? So, we risk-assessed and followed all government guidance. Bubble groups of 15 students or less, socially distanced 2m apart and adequate ventilation. The recommended level of ventilation is 10 litres of air, per second, per person – as a music teacher, I am unsure how one measures air flow, but we opened all the windows!
We were planning a performance, but what about an audience? Mass gatherings were not permitted, so we needed to think outside the box. Our intention was an online broadcast of a live Carol Service from All Saint’s Church. This wouldn’t be without its challenges, not least the fact that All Saint’s Church doesn’t have an internet connection! And then we had our first positive case of Covid-19.
Gradually more and more of the school’s provision moved to Virtual Valley Park and rehearsals became impossible, so once more plans had to change. During lockdown one, we had successfully completed three virtual choir performances, but an entire carol service? Was this even possible? We believed that it was and at 7:30 on Thursday 17 December we will be broadcasting the first Valley Park Virtual Carol Service.
Why was I so determined that we should have a carol service? For me, Christmas is a time for coming together. A time for community, family and charity. Singing together and performing to an audience are the essence of this togetherness. These collective cultural experiences are the glue that bind our society together. They give us our humanity and connect us to others. Therefore, to me it is unthinkable that Valley Park School would not have a carol service this year. And so, I come back to the words of Stevie Wonder, “All of this and more, that’s what Christmas means to me.”
