Choosing The Right Christmas Musical This Year
Choosing Children’s Christmas Musicals
In terms of the school calendar, Christmas musicals are an important event as they are something that parents and teachers eagerly anticipate, not least the children, who generally really enjoy being involved. However, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing Christmas musicals for children.
The Age of the Children Involved
When deciding which Christmas musicals to put on, it is important that you take into consideration the ages of the children involved. Different age groups will have different abilities when it comes to performing, and younger children will have a lower capacity for remembering large parts than those further up the school.
Similarly, for younger children the lines and individual parts need to be simpler, as they won’t have quite such a solid grasp of vocabulary as children in the higher year groups. The themes of the play should also be simpler, because if the children have a good grasp of what is happening they can perform better and also empathise with the characters whose parts they are playing.
Deciding Whether Your Christmas Musical Should Be Secular or Christian
One issue that has to be taken into consideration when choosing a children’s Christmas musical is whether it should be set in a Christian or secular context. As communities become increasingly culturally diverse, more religions and beliefs come into play. Parents with different religious beliefs might not be comfortable with having their children appear in a Christian based musical.
A secular Christmas musical may be more appropriate for a community that is more culturally diverse. On the other hand, schools primarily consisting of Christian children might be better off sticking with more traditional children’s Christmas musicals.
Choosing Between Traditional and Modern Christmas Musicals
Another area that often comes into question when thinking about choosing Christmas musicals for children is whether they should have a modern twist on the original theme, or whether they should be more traditional.
This can be an issue of contention, as some people prefer a traditional-style Christmas musical while others believe that adding a little variation on this theme could help bring the story to life. Typically, modern interpretations tell the story from the point of view of a minor character, are set in the modern world, or involve an unusual take on the original story, like Christmas with the Aliens.
What Is the Best Option for Your Christmas Musical?
When it comes to choosing a Christmas musical for your school, there is no definite answer. However, it is important to consider the children’s age group together with the type of community that you belong to in order for it to be inclusive and appealing to as many people as possible. This will enable your pupils can get the most out of the experience and make the musical more enjoyable for their parents, too.
Out of the Ark has a wide range of Christmas musical and play scripts for sale, including scripts for all age groups and communities. Go to www.outoftheark.co.uk to view the full range and order online.