Thursday, July 16, 2015

Throwback Thursday: School Concerts



            I’m up early I actually slept last night though hard to with all the excitement over the concert. It is creeping ever closer to the day of it. And there is a possibility I will be spending the night in Boston as well. Time will tell on that one. School is back in session this week as I have been harping on but I am adjusting well. But back on topic this will be the first concert I have been to outside of school concerts.  
            Speaking of which that is what we are going to discuss today. It makes sense since I am going to my first concert outside of a school concert later this month. I’ve been to a lot of school concerts as I am sure most of you have as well. I’ve also been in a few of them, which wasn’t the most comfortable thing for me at the time and probably wouldn’t be now either. Singing Christmas Carols in front of your peers or even in front of the whole town is not as fun as they make it sound to be. I’m more of an in the background type of guy. Some people enjoy it and more power to them. I’m just not comfortable on stage. Working on getting more comfortable there though. Just going to take some time. I’m starting with audio podcasts and working my way into video and eventually stage. But I digress.
            Most of the school concerts I remember start around fourth grade and they involve going to city hall in Portland on field trips to hear classical music. Which was always nice since it was very moving stuff. Though I didn’t enjoy sitting up in the balcony since I have issues with heights. But I tried not to think about it and just tried to sit back and enjoy the music. Which was usually Christmas music. Though now and then we got to hear regular classical music. In middle school that all stopped we didn’t get any concerts unless it was the chorus for the school. It bummed me out because now the schools make it a habit to get the kids to see the shows at city hall and stuff long after I am gone. I am happy for the kids of today don’t get me wrong. But bummed out that I missed out on that stuff.
            When I was in high school I remember we mostly got plays, which I will cover on another Thursday. But the one concert I do remember from my short stint in high school was when the Air Force Band came to my school. They really rocked the house. Then there was the times the local town rock band played at Gorham events. They rocked as well. I had a couple tapes of them last I knew. I will have to look again and see if I do. I enjoyed them a lot. They played a lot at pep rallies though never at any of the dances unfortunately. But they were a hit with us at the high school. Brings back fond memories not just of school, but of rocking after school as well.
            And if you will allow me a little soap box time please. It is important for kids to be exposed to these concerts. I know it takes away from class time. But it enriches their lives with culture that not many parents can afford to give to their kids otherwise. And it helps them do better in school in general as well. Plus it motivates them to reach for the stars as well. And isn’t that what we all want for our kids in general. If you want to make up the class time take away one of the spring breaks or lengthen the school year by a week. But don’t take away school concerts. And now I will get down off my soap box.
            I hope you have enjoyed today’s look at school concerts. I’ll be talking about the high school rock band of my youth again in more detail at some point, but not today. For now enjoy your Thursday. Feel free to leave comments about school concerts in your youth or how you feel about school concerts below. For now I am going to go get my coffee and settle in to some other writing I am looking to get off the ground potentially. *Tips his hat and walks out the door heading for the coffee brewer.*

No comments:

Post a Comment