It’s back – George McDougall High School’s annual Christmas concert, that is.
Every December, the Airdrie high school puts on a Christmas-themed concert for audiences to enjoy in preparation for the holiday season. It’s a tradition that carried on even through the COVID-19 pandemic, when social distancing and partitions between band members became the norm.
This year’s iteration – to be held the evening of Dec. 21 – is being dubbed “A Not so Silent Night,” according to George McDougall band teacher Jordan Harris, who added the concert will return to pre-pandemic formatting.
Harris said the Grade 9 to 12 band members will be accompanied by a recently re-established choir that will be singing a few songs during the presentation.
“[The concert] is an opportunity for all of our band ensembles [and choir] to give a little taste of what they have,” he said.
Various songs will be performed for audience members during the presentation, including classic Christmas favourites like “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
“And we mean [Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer] in the most affectionate way possible,” Harris said with a laugh.
According to the long-time George McDougall music instructor, one of the songs slated to be performed, “Christmas Eve Sarajevo,” is lesser known, but is a “really powerful” melody.
“When you have 100-plus kids in the senior band playing that song, it’s a pretty passionate piece, a pretty big piece,” he said.
Afterward, the Mustangs' jazz ensemble will be performing several additional songs, including the beloved “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Harris has been an instructor at George McDougall High School for approximately 15 years and said in his time there, the Christmas concert has been an annual tradition.
“I actually graduated from George Mac, and I’ve been involved with the school since I was in Grade 7, and it’s been going on every year since then for sure,” he recalled. “And many moons ago.”
The band teacher said coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming concert is an opportunity for the school to experience a sense of normalcy again while walking through the halls at school.
“There’s people whistling Christmas tunes or getting into the holiday spirit, and we’re doing secret Santa at school,” he said. “This time of year just gives people a sense of faith and hope and just looking at better things to come.”
When George McDougall’s concerts were held during the pandemic, Harris retrofitted the school gymnasium with individual barriers for every student, along with implementing various other protocols to ensure the school adhered to public health restrictions.
He said this year’s concert is an opportunity to bring Christmas cheer and a sense of normalcy to the school community and Airdrie residents.
“When you’re in concerts and you have limited capacity and you have to keep your six-feet distance and there’s all those particular protocols, it’s just not the same,” he said. “Especially, when you’re doing something like a Christmas concert, when everybody’s festive and you have that holiday spirit
“It’s a little harder to do when everybody is six feet apart.”
Doors open at the main gym at George McDougall High School at 6 p.m. with the concert getting underway at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free for all attendees, though donations to the Airdrie Food Bank are appreciated and encouraged.
“We’ll have boxes set up for the Airdrie Food Bank and a box set up for anybody that’s able to bring in [goods] we can provide for people this winter,” Harris said.
“If people show up empty-handed, that’s not a problem at all. If they’re there, just come and enjoy the music – that's fantastic.”
