A Christmas Gift
The Ambrose School's annual Traditional Christmas Program
In my first year as Headmaster at Foundations Academy, now The Ambrose School, in Boise, Idaho, I awaited the joy of Christmas at the end of first term. Right after Thanksgiving, parents started to show up in my office. Several came to complain that “certain parents” would leave the Christmas program after their child was on stage. This was offensive. So, I asked around. I was told it took several hours, the music was ok, but the transitions took forever and their kids were squirming. I went that first year. Yep, I wanted to be somewhere else in about 10 minutes. The music staff did a good job, but there just wasn’t a good vision for what it could be.
This was the beginning of a project. What if people who had no one in the school WANTED to come to our school program? What if it became a community event? I know little of music, but I hired some additional music staff and set them about the project. They made it happen!
For a classical Christian school, Christmas is low hanging fruit. What other time during the year do people WANT to hear traditional, classically oriented music? It took us several years to get things in place, but by 2015 when I left, the program had moved to our city’s most established venue, drew around 2000 people and was televised on our local NBC affiliate 3 times over Christmas. The tradition lives on. So, I thought I would share it with you.
I know many other classical Christian schools have excellent programs— I just don’t have access to them. So, I’ll send along the one. Seek out more!
This is a raw cut of the whole program. Start about 5 minutes in. And, don’t miss the last two songs— it ends every year with the Hallelujah Chorus. Another standout- part begins around 1:13— The Holly and the Ivy.
