Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Dec 07/01) - The practices and early stage fright jitters have already started in the lead up to this year's Christmas concert at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school.

Grade 1 students Naomi Gallupe, left, and Preston Dosedel practice for the Christmas concert Dec. 20 at Sir Alexander Mackenzie school. - Malcolm Gorrill/NNSL photo

Late last week members of all four Grade 1 classes converged near the main entrance and sang a few tunes. All these students will sing together at the concert, which vice-principal Nancy Binette explained is unusual.

"That just happened that way this year. I don't think that has ever happened before," Binette said. "Most of the other classes are by themselves."

The concert takes place Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. About half of the classes will take part, and the other classes will take part in the spring concert in May. Binette explained this is because SAMS has so many students.

"The teachers have a choice, we put up a sign up sheet," she said. "Decorations for the gym will be provided by the classes that are not participating. We usually have two students as emcees, a boy and a girl, and we audition from a Grade 5 or 6 class that isn't in the concert."

Binette explained each act is limited to about five minutes, so that the concert doesn't take more than two hours.

"We like to aim for an 8:30 finish. That's long enough for kids to sit." All the students will take part in a dress rehearsal on the day of the concert. "They all get a chance to rehearse besides the dress rehearsal day. They'll do that during gym times," Binette explained.

"They need to practice in the gym too, we find. They need that practice of being on the stage, and of getting off and on."

With a laugh, she said, "You don't want to be doing that for the first time that day."