Joy to the (politically correct) world

School holiday concerts celebrate performance and cultural diversity, By Linda Smith Hancharick Warwick — Dr. Frank Greenhall, superintendent of Warwick schools, remembers how parents in his former district reacted the first time the school’s Christmas concert was transformed into a winter concert: They were so upset that they threatened never to come to another performance. But that didn’t happen. “Attendance at the concerts pretty much stayed the same,” he said. “People adjust and are just as happy no matter what you call it.” There was a time when most districts had Christmas concerts. Now, most districts are more inclusive, having music celebrating Christian and Jewish traditions as well as Kwanzaa. Favorite secular songs, too, are on the program as school administrators gently reach out to a diverse population celebrating different religious and cultural holidays. Some districts even change lyrics to songs to make them more secular. Greenhall said that isn’t the case in Warwick. “We sing them as they are written,” he said. “Music teachers are professional. They know what is going on.” The politically correct blues Sometimes being politically correct can be just as offensive as not being politically correct. Goshen Superintendent Roy Reese said that districts have done their best to be inclusive. “Unfortunately, we try very hard not to offend people,” said Reese, “but in our attempt not to offend, we offend people. We try to encompass and be sensitive to everyone’s wishes. By doing that, we offend others.” Reese said if the band and choral groups do religious songs and represent every religion, they can offend atheists and others who do not celebrate any of the holidays. “Our concerts mix classical pieces with secular winter songs,” said Reese. “We are not representing any holiday and sometimes we get the opposite reaction. People think we are too generic.” Goshen high school carolers used to go to nursing homes to entertain residents. They were asked not to a while back because not all residents celebrate Christmas. “I take greetings as they come,” said Reese. “If someone wishes me a Happy Hanukkah, I take the greeting as it was meant, from the heart, a sincere greeting. I’m not offended by that.” Mostly Mozart Some districts have moved their concerts from December to January. Some of Monroe-Woodbury’s concerts are slated for January simply because there are so many of them and they can’t all fit on the December calendar, according to Assistant Superintendent Carole O’Neill. O’Neill said Monroe’s winter concerts have no strong holiday themes. They focus on the music program in the district. “The Middle School concert had lots of Mozart,” said O’Neill. “They are studying Mozart so that is what we heard. They sang in German. Our concerts are a true reflection of our music program.” O’Neill said she hasn’t heard any holiday music at the concerts she has attended so far, but that some of the elementary schools do one song that encompasses all of the holidays. “Music is a performance art and this is their opportunity to perform,” O’Neill said. “It is conducive at this time of year and in the spring to show what they have learned.” Celebrating diversity Chester Superintendent Helen Ann Livingston understands the challenges as an administrator and as a band director. Livingston had been a band director when she worked in another district. She said she chose songs based on the notes the children could play. Now, as an administrator, she sees the winter concert as an opportunity to teach diversity. On the district Web site, Livingston writes about the holidays and diversity and includes the Anti-Defamation League’s guidelines for holidays in schools. “School districts are faced with the difficult question of how to appropriately acknowledge the various holidays that occur in this month,” writes Livingston. “We strive to comply with the United State Constitution and create a school environment that celebrates diversity by respecting different points of view concerning religion. It is essential to note that the Chester does not endorse religion over non-religion or one particular faith over another.” That being said, each administrator echoed each other in talking about the students. “One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is seeing kids perform, whether it is on stage or a field,” said Greenhall. “I just love it.”