I'm doing supply at the moment in a school that is taking its Christmas concert so seriously you'd swear they are putting a show in the West End.
Today the head teacher, whom I've already got pegged as a bit of a narcissist, ranted and raved at the whole school during a run through because of the way the way they were getting fidgety (they'd been standing for well over an hour at this point), they didn't have their hands by their sides and they weren't looking happy enough.
It's just seems a bit much really. I've sat through a couple of run throughs already and its completle dirge, which is not the kids fault because they didn't write it. The parents just want to see their kids singing on the stage. They won't care who's not standing on straight, or who's fidgeting, or smiling. They will be focussing on their own DC's.
The difference between this school and the one I was in last xmas is insane. They were much more laid back last year, and as a result it was a better show. I can't help but thinking its all about the teachers and their egos more than anything else. I'm right arent I?
AIBU?
To wonder why so many teachers take the school Christmas concert so seriously?
GlitteryRollers · 08/12/2015 16:25
If you are doing a performance it should be the best you can possibly achieve, and rather like gardens, 'good ones are not made, by saying
oh, how lovely, and sitting in the shade'.
I agree with this - within the confines and aims of the particular show.
I've put on three big Christmas shows over the last two weeks - and yes I do take it extremely seriously because a) it's my career and I want to do it as well as I am capable of b) it's exhausting and requires massive amounts of work and long hours so it might as well be good and c) if the parents don't think it's good you can bet I and the head will both hear about it!
BUT - the three shows required different approaches and had very different aims.
Show 1 - full scale musical production with 7-9 year olds. All of years 3 and 4 involved (Year 3 in chorus, Year 4 with speaking parts). Drama and Music lessons spent working on it since Sept then the whole thing put together on stage in the final 2 weeks. It had to be extremely high quality for their age group because of the time/effort and where the bar was set. It should have been too difficult for them at their age and it was a chore at times but they all achieved it because we expected them to. I really believe that pushing children beyond what they are capable of results in them being able to do things that they and you didn't think they could.
Show 2 - infant nativity production for all classes in N, R, Y1 and Y2 - massive undertaking but pretty relaxed due to their age. We wanted and expected it to be good but also knew that lots would go wrong and that the parents would find it funny when they did (whereas with the Y3/4 show they would want to see a good show).
Show 3 - 4 class productions shown on a rolling programme with audience switching over so they only had to watch their child's production and not the whole evening. Much older children (Y7) but decent size speaking parts for every single child who wanted one, regardless of ability and only preparation in drama classes (no rehearsals) so scripts were on stage and the odd bit of direction was needed. Very much a workshop performance. Hugely informal, relaxed and not high quality AT ALL. But parents enjoyed it because it was very clearly billed as a presentation of work done in class and children who don't get big parts in the bigger shows had a good opportunity.
So, yes, I think it's important to take everything you work on seriously and produce it to the best standard possible - but that standard will vary hugely depending on the age and aptitude of the children and the time given over to rehearsals.
Next term I'm doing a huge Y6, Y7 and Y8 musical production and that will have to be outstanding because we get loads of time to rehearse, in and out of school, a professional set and professional sound and light equipment. So the head teacher and the parents really expect it to be amazing. Eek!
The other projects for next term will, by necessity, have to much ... er, less amazing! 
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Right with you manic. I used to organise the nativities for a local school and we divided it up into two shows. (Tiny school, 40 children tops in total, very inclusive, lots of SN). The organisation needed is enormous. Everyone was involved.
We did one for R Y1 and Y2 which we kept simple. Rehearsals were short and kept to 20 mins and we paired up the children into tiny groups with a Y2 in each of them to help the R years. The show had minimal lines given to the starstruck (and backed up by loud off-stage reminders 
). It was also a very short show (about 15 minutes).
Y3 up did something more complicated with longer rehearsals and more of them. Costumes and any props were made in class, words and songs were learned in class as well quite often (last 10 minutes of some lessons, get your neighbour to help you kind of thing). The show was always on a Wednesday and the Tuesday was a proper rehearsals in the village hall over the whole afternoon. It was very much looked forward to as it was technically "off timetable". School took the view that learning to work as a group to do something good together was important and encouraged everyone to do the best that they could. They were also firm believers in encouraging creativity.
They did two performances. During the morning they performed for each other, then for parents in the afternoon. It worked very nicely, but my goodness, the amount of time it took. This was a tiny school though and the thought of having to organise anything like that for a bigger one with large classes makes my blood run cold.
Not sure it's possible to win with nativities, but they do offer often the first chance to learn about performance and large scale cooperation to a lot of children and if they're handled well they're very, very inclusive. One child hated being on stage (and wasn't forced to be there) but adored helping make the costumes. Her face when the kings came on wearing her crowns was a glorious, glorious sight.
Ahem. Apologies for the very long post.
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