Diamond Valley School's winter concert 'the best yet'

"Christmas tree stand up tall

"Spread the gingers out to all..."

"Oh, very good," I said to the kindergartener, proudly reciting the poem his class would be presenting at the winter concert, "but it's 'good news' rather than gingers." "No." He replied, "It's gingers." I'm partial to ginger so I did not feel inclined to insist.

Speaking of ginger, there have been strains of beautiful piano music floating through Diamond Valley School recently. I tracked down the source and found Ginger Craik in the gym playing Christmas music. Ginger joined Diamond Valley School as a teacher in 1975. She retired last June but appeared five weeks ago generously volunteering to develop some pieces with the band and to be the piano accompanist for the concert. Judging from the band's performance it was an exceptionally productive five weeks. The music was lively and tuneful and included a fine saxophone solo.

The music director of the winter concert was Janelle Blocher. Mrs. Blocher has taught in Egypt and India where she put on many musical productions. This is her fourth year at Diamond Valley. She said her goal for the concert was "wonderful, not perfect."

Mrs. Blocher said choosing the music was a combined effort. Her requests for suggestions from teachers produced a good response. One teacher chose her two childhood favorites: "It's a Small World" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?" These were sung by second, third and fourth graders with impressive volume and clarity.

Excitement was mounting on the afternoon of concert day as the whole school gathered for the final rehearsal in the gym which had been magically transformed into a concert hall, complete with seasonal decorations, extra seating, piano, keyboards, music stands and a display of raffle prizes. The proceedings went smoothly, with one minor disruption among kindergartners. One of the group had lost a tooth; it had fallen on the floor and others in the vicinity were scrambling about trying to retrieve it. This was accomplished and order restored.

That evening Mrs. Blocher welcomed the huge audience and introduced the student announcer who was relaxed, upbeat, and clearly enjoying her role. Later in the evening Mrs. Blocher introduced Ms. Rugger, Diamond Valley's new principal, who spoke words of good will and cheer in keeping with the lovely atmosphere of the evening.

This is the first Diamond Valley concert where different grades have worked together on several musical arrangements. One of these was "Jingle Bells." Seventh- and eighth-graders accompanied with chords as the second-graders played the melody, sang and rang the bells, led by an eighth-grader.

The keyboard music is a component of JIJI Math. The 24 Yamaha keyboards were provided through a grant. The third- and fourth-graders have been working on their keyboard skills since kindergarten and shared some delightful pieces with us including "Little Drummer Boy," accompanied by rousing drumming.

Kindergarten and first graders, adorned with halos, sang and signed "Silent Night." One of their teachers trained as a teacher for the deaf and sign language is part of Diamond Valley School's K-1 curriculum.

Under the direction of their teacher, seventh- and eighth-graders recited the Longfellow poem: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," written in 1864 during the Civil War and just as relevant today as it was then. They also gave a poignant rendition of the song "Lean on Me." During "The Twelve Days of Christmas" the students held up cue cards, inviting audience participation.

Fifth- and sixth-graders performed the topical play "North Pole Melting," arising from their week-long stay at Sly Park Environmental Science Camp, run by the California Department of Education. Polar bears and seals appealed to Santa Claus to stop using fossil fuels in his toy factories because these fuels release carbon dioxide causing global warming which is destroying their homes. Santa Claus agreed to convert to sun, wind and tidal power. This convincing performance ended with the cast chorusing "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a healthy planet."

The finale included both school and audience singing "Silent Night" and "Let There be Peace on Earth."

Audience response to this wonderful concert was unanimous: "The best yet."

"Let there be peace on earth

"And let it begin with me."