Student performances called a celebration of communities, school.

MIDDLE SCHOOL students at Suttons Bay rehearse
a number they’ll perform at their holiday concert on Dec. 10.

Christmas concert season was in full swing at Leelanau County schools this week with the first of what will be many programs for students, parents and community members to enjoy over the coming weeks.
At St. Mary School in Lake Leelanau, students in kindergarten through the sixth grade performed a concert in the school gymnasium on Tuesday evening. Students at Glen Lake Elementary School were slated to hold a concert Wednesday evening, Dec. 5. Holiday concerts were slated to continue at all four Leelanau County public schools through Dec. 20.

“What makes these concerts so special is that they’re community events and they celebrate community values,” said music and drama teacher Jeremy Evans who teaches part-time at three Leelanau County public schools. “They really reflect what’s going on in our community – with our kids, our schools, our whole society.”

Most of the concerts at public schools will include a smattering of “traditional” Christmas music – including specific references to the religious basis for the holiday – Silent Night or Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, for example. However, most of the songs are more generic “holiday” songs such as Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman, for example.

There are even some “new” songs that many parents may not have yet heard.

Students in Suttons Bay Public Schools music teacher Margaret Lott’s middle school choir were practicing a few of the less well-known songs last week – titles such as Be a Candle of Hope and Sing World Peace.

“I really like them because they have such nice melodies,” said Sutton Bay middle school student Miranda Schaub.

“I think the words are really nice, too,” said classmate Blake Cavanaugh.

“Some of the songs we’ll do at our concert are not common and not everybody will be able to sing along,” added Charlotte Seeley, “but they really are nice songs and we enjoy doing them.”

The Suttons Bay Middle School holiday concert will include the sixth grade band, the middle school band and the middle school choir, all slated to perform Monday Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

SUTTONS BAY music teacher Margaret Lott leads
members of the middle school choir in a rehearsal for
an upcoming holiday concert.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 2:30 p.m., Suttons Bay Elementary School will perform a holiday concert, with a second performance slated for 7 p.m. the same day. On Monday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m., the Suttons Bay High School band, choir and jazz band will hold their holiday concert in the high school auditorium.

At Glen Lake Community Schools, this week’s elementary concert will be followed by a high school and middle school vocal music and band concert next Thursday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the auditeria.

At Leland Public School, children in the lower elementary grades will perform a concert next Wednesday evening, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. in the school’s Performing Arts Center. The following night, Dec. 13, Leland middle and high school students will combine with students from the St. Mary School for a choral and band concert at 7 p.m. at the Leland Public School gymnasium. Children in Leland’s upper elementary grades will hold their concert on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.

The big night for Northport Public School students will also be Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. Students in kindergarten through the 12th grades will perform in the Northport Community Arts Center.

The final school holiday concert will be held Thursday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., at the Suttons Bay High School auditorium. That concert will feature a performance by Suttons Bay kindergarten students.

“For parents, these concerts can be so much about seeing your kid up there on stage and in a nice little outfit,” said Evans. “But it’s really about more than that – it’s about the music, it’s about the curriculum in our schools, it’s about our community, and it’s about the season.”