Children’s Carol Concert at St Mark’s

Children's Carol Concert at St Mark's

I went last year when it was one of the celebrations for St Mark’s, a Victorian Christmas, the children dressed as Dickensian characters (and some of the adults too). I was very impressed and that is what made me decided to go this year.

– Victorian Christmas Carol Concert St Mark’s

There were plates being played on arrival, though this I did not notice.

It started with the children singing in a candlelit procession, with a few of the children already up front.

We were then treated to a Nativity, though not quite as we know it, more of a musical, if not a comedy.

A gathering of the angels. We have to tell Mary she is expecting a child. Why, does she not know, pipes up one of the angels?

Followed by more singing, poetry reading.

Towards the end we were treated to a rock n roll jive dance routine in the aisle. Earlier, many of the songs had a distinctive Caribbean rhythm.

As Ian said in his summing up and thanks, this was not the first time dancing in the aisles, even on the pews, when last year for one night only, St Mark’s was turned into a nightclub. And what a night that was!

– GK’s Funky People at St Mark’s

And for the finale, in Spanish!

The children did everything, they were the narrators, the perfomers, the singers, the roadies, the lighting engineers, the only thing they were not running was the sound system and for some of the singing they had a musical director, but for most of it they ran everything themselves.

Very, very impressive.

We learnt from the Rector Ian Hedges that St Mark’s School had just received Outstanding from an Ofsted inspection, and if the rest of their schooling is as good as this it was more than well deserved.

Chatting to one of the teachers after I said I was very impressed. I added it begs what happens to the kids when they pass through secondary school and most emerge brain-dead, barely able to communicate. Only the lucky ones, who do not have the love of learning, an inquisitive mind, bashed out of them, seem to pass through unscathed.

– Schools kill creativity

The schoolchildren were infant schoolchildren, some seemed barely passed being toddlers. Which only makes it all the more impressive that they can conduct and perform for nearly an hour and a half all by themselves.

A retiring collections was taken for a project in Africa that the church is supporting.

Synchronicity: Strange as it was only Saturday at St Nicolas, an African theme.

– An African Christmas

Christmas 2011 at St Marks:

24th December – Christmas Eve 4:00pm Crib Service with our “Christingle” Appeal, 11:30pm “Midnight” Eucharist.

25th December – Christmas Day 10:30am EUCHARIST with carols.

Tags: carols, Children's Carol Concert at St Mark, Christmas, St Mark's carol concert