The Strangest Pre-School Concert Ever!

My daughter's pre-school presents concerts 2 or 3 times every year. The school director explains each time that the performance is more about the students being in front of an audience than anything else.

The programing is always a bit odd. Rather than the typical "If You're Happy and You Know It" and the like, the director chooses things usually saved for more mature performers. Last year, the class performed Roger's and Hammerstein's "Do-Re-Mi" and "Climb Every Mountain." Which leads to another interesting story about a birthday party that many of the students went to that year: When the hostess of the party (who worked for the arts and crafts store where the party was held) asked the kids to sing a song while they waited for some paint to dry she was shocked when they all wanted to sing "Climb Every Mountain" and said, "Well, OK. If you know it." And of course, they did, and they sang it.

But the program this week was stranger still. The teachers wanted to present a collection of tunes that spanned the decades from the 50's - the 80's. So the students picked the tunes themselves from "Best Of..." CD's from each of those decades.

Immagine 20 4 - 6 year olds singing George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone." And there is something a little strange about children of that age singing that traditional pre-school anthem of lost love: "Yesterday" by Lennon and McCartney. Other selections included "Rock Around the Clock," "I Love a Rainy Night," and "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang.

Of course, it was more about the kids being in front of the audience... A lot of the kids sang strong and well, others did the lip sync thing. The accompaniment music was the original recordings, so there was always the professional performer backing them up when even the strongest voices amongst the group failed.

I can't wain until there performance at graduation next month!