Sadiya A. Nadeem Saudi Gazette In Jeddah, the sun shines bright all year round. But even in this sun-soaked city, the elementary school of American International School Jeddah (AISJ) kept the festive spirit of winter high and hosted a “Winter Concert” on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the school's gymnasium. Under the guidance of the talented music director Sylvia De los Santos, around 300 students, including special children, serenaded nearly 200 parents and teachers with their spellbinding back-to-back performances. The opening set of the concert was by the first graders, who were dressed in black polo shirts and shorts with shiny purple scarves draped around their necks. They performed with rhythm sticks on “The Wizard of Oz.” After beating mini drums and ringing melody bells in sync to the music of the “Three Fast Mice,” the ecstatic first graders brimming with energy broke into the fast, upbeat song “Jingle Bells” as parents profusely clicked pictures and clapped. “I think it was very cool. We should have it every year,” said a chirpy first grader after the performance. Next up, the second graders, sporting shiny green scarves on their black outfits, lent their soft voices to the melodious “Teddy Bear” while some enthusiastically played the glockenspiel. And if you thought their show was over, the budding singers then sang “Forte Piano,” a fusion of high and low notes followed by “Star Medley” and “Children are the Future of the World,” leaving the audience awestruck, as the curtain dropped. A second grader said: “I feel proud because we did a great job performing on stage.” Taking over the stage were then the fifth graders, who played the recorder to the music of “Frodo's BAG” before launching into singing “Seasons of Love” and the fast-paced, energetic number “Jingle Bell Rock.” “I was delighted to play the recorder and sing ‘Jingle Bell Rock' because of its cheerful beat,” said a fifth grader. The stage was then taken over by the fourth graders, who harmoniously played the recorder to “Breeze Blown Bag.” After talking about how much they missed splashing in the rain and playing in the snow, the fourth graders then wholeheartedly sang “Singin in the Rain” and “Let it Snow.” Asked how they felt about the concert, a fourth grader said: “It was a wonderful experience, though I was scared and shy at first to have all the people looking at us.” The 90-minute concert's closing set gathered students of all the four grades on stage to sing “Light the Candles all Around the World” and as the song touched its last chord, the audience erupted in loud cheers, whistles, and applause for the young musicians and singers. Commenting on the success of the concert, elementary school principal Debi Casky said: “They are constant performers. “They are all budding musicians and singers and their performances were phenomenal. They did a great job.” Casky added: “It was not a one- man show, a lot of hard work was put in by all the teachers.” “Casky supervised the entire show and offered me all the moral support I needed and uplifted my spirits when I felt low,” said De los Santos. All the songs were carefully selected according to the theme and children's age by De los Santos, who zealously trained the children over a period of a month and a half in their music periods during school hours. De los Santos said this feat wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of classroom teachers, assistants, facility coordinator Anita Van Grevnen, maintenance staff headed by Hanif Quershi, audio/visual technicians Arshad Haroon and Kyle Sumrow, music operator Haifaa, and specialists such as PE teacher Cristina Magturtur and her assistant Lilia Regil, among others. Diana El Saghir, learning support teacher of elementary school, said: “The elementary students had passionately rehearsed for the day with the help of their teachers. “Their excitement was evident to all as parents and all those in attendance enjoyed a brilliant concert. “A big thank you is also due to our music teacher and students for their dedication without whom the concert could not have occurred.” It was event coordinator and art teacher Nathalie Bannaut and her assistant Donna Ricco's creativity that gave life to the winter-themed stage and the former's skill in pulling together the concert with the music director. Dr. Mark English, the school superintendent, said: “I am delighted our school can share in the magic of this time of year with our community. The songs and music performed by our elementary school students were simply wonderful and put a smile on everyone's face. De los Santos along with all of the support from staff and faculty members from the elementary school once again put on an enjoyable winter concert.”
