116 days to go....

For a hefty part of today I have been working at my laptop. In my school I am largely responsible for the music curriculum and I run both a school choir and school band. As a Catholic school, the Christmas Nativity is an important event and the music takes quite a bit of preparation.

This year we are basing the carol service around a festive musical for children by Alison Carver called "Too busy for Christmas". It's a simple script and the songs are catchy. I've now completed writing the arrangements for the band; we have a number of players - mainly beginners and it's always a challenge to create scores using solely the notes they have already learned to play.

I'm not really a musician (I play a little guitar and ukulele) but by getting to know Sibelius software I've managed to get my head around a range of clefs, time signatures and notes. Its a learning curve, but I'm always pleased with the eventual outcome through my tinny speakers and overwhelmed when the band come together and play pieces I have arranged. This year's Nativity will include seven songs arranged for violin, viola, cello, descant recorder, ocarina and chime bars.

Rehearsals probably won't start until November, but for now I know that with 116 days to go - Christmas is getting ever nearer!