Preparations are well underway for the Schools Christmas Concert that will be taking place on 3 December at the Brighton Centre. A choir of over 1200 children from the city’s primary and special schools will come together to sing a selection of festive songs, accompanied by Brighton & Hove Youth Wind Orchestra and Big Band.
The programme will feature traditional and modern songs in a range of musical styles and will include the Christmas story, Santa Claus and even a Hippo! There will also be a new composition, created by James Redwood and pupils from Hill Park and Downs View Schools – that will feature the massed choir, Big Band and audience participation.
The evening will be a celebration of the season but also of singing and the wider benefits of singing on wellbeing. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has attended the event before, that singing as part of a large group can boost wellbeing, creating feelings of happiness and belonging for members of the choir and also for the audience, who are often invited to join in with the singing.
To further increase engagement the choir will add Makaton signs to the majority of songs in the programme. To help children get ready for the concert, Brighton & Hove Music & Arts also create online tutorials so that children and their parents/carers can learn the songs, singing together before the main event.