It may well be a sign of curmudgeonliness, but I’m never thrilled to hear Christmas music in October and November. Come the first of December it is fair enough (I suppose). By the end of the term, I can’t wait for the next performance. Music has a special place at this time of year, and it has a significant role in school all year round. The health benefits of music are well known, it can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. Those who play music have an extraordinary opportunity to be part of a creative whole, they can perform, lend their voice or talent to the community. Musical performance is, quite possibly, an education in itself.
This week our musicians have brought joy to the residents of a local old people’s home, they have serenaded shoppers at Croissy market, and were an integral part of last week’s most successful Christmas Fair. On Monday the Senior School will have a musical assembly and if anyone doesn’t know about the Junior School’s Christmas Show I’d advise you not to miss it. This year the performance will be recorded by our good friends from Feelgood Films, a production that I am assured will make Beyoncé’s Rennaisance look like an undercooked turkey. We will enjoy a Senior School Christmas concert (with seasonal readings) on Tuesday evening and who knows, we all may have a chance to join in with some of the musical items. Come the end of next week we will enjoy the music of the world during International Day, and we will round off this most successful of terms with the ever-popular talent shows. By the end of the week we will have truly readied ourselves for the festive season.
This has been a long and successful term. It has been good to see new joiners become “old hands”, and all have made progress. We’ve raised a significant amount of money for good causes and once again we’ve produced a superb quantity of Love in a Box. Our charity shop is open tomorrow and I’d encourage everyone to come and support this endeavour, this is truly a time to support those for whom this time of year is less than festive. I hope to see you there, I believe that there may be some seasonal treats if additional encouragement is necessary.
Now, all together, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
