I have a confession to make: I don't like Christmas music.
Except when my grandchildren are playing it. :)
'T'is the season for Christmas concerts. Granddaughter #1 plays the flute in her high school band. Granddaughter #2 plays the trumpet in her middle school band. We attended their concerts - #1 on Monday night, #2 last night. It was marvelous (except that the gymnasiums were hot and crowded, and probably swimming with every kind of germ under the sun).
Band kids are just the best. I was so proud of them all, not just my young'uns. They were all dressed up, spit-shined, and eager to get down to business. Even the sixth-graders, who had never held a horn, or a drumstick, or a mallet until August of this year, put on a great performance. So did the 7th grade band, which started its music education in the throes of a pandemic. The high school band was absolutely outstanding. They sounded like a professional orchestra. One young man did a 4-minute xylophone solo FROM MEMORY that was a joy to hear.
Statistically, band kids are among the top academic performers in schools. This appears to include marching band students, as well, even though they have less free time to study.
No other class in school - and probably no other group in any part of their lives - offers an opportunity to work in a large group composed of sub-groups (the individual sections - brass, woodwinds, percussion) at this stage of their lives. Regardless of ethnicity or shape/size, band is a one-for-all and all-for-one enterprise.
Both of my sons were in band, and all of my grandchildren - the ones who are old enough - either are or have been in band. They've found long-term, enriching friendships with people whose moral compasses and interests mirror theirs. Some of my most cherished times with them have been when someone has whipped out an instrument and started a family sing-along.
Music is a good thing. Even Christmas music. ;)
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