Over the years, Pedersen Elementary School’s holiday program has proved to be a popular way to spend a mid-December evening. It is so popular, in fact, that an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 attendees found it difficult each year to see and hear the children on stage. This year, elementary music and art teachers have confronted the long-standing problem by offering an entirely new program called “A Night of the Arts.”

   The new program is actually a series of programs scheduled for February and March that will devote separate evenings to the art and musical performances of a single grade level. That way, there will be only about 100 kids to focus on at once.
   Cathy Seipel, music teacher for students in grades two through four, said the children are excited about not blending into a huge crowd, and that she is excited about talking with parents and grandparents, many of whom could not attend in the past due to space and time contraints.
   Overcrowding was not the only reason the staff decided to change the tradition, though.
   “We wanted to shift from a focus on Christmas to a focus on education… not always thinking about the end product, but the entire process,” said Donna Walther, art teacher for students in grades two through four. She explained that there would be some visual explanation of the creative process through slideshows or demonstrations by some of the older students.
   Transitioning from a holiday program to a series of spring programs will not only free up space to display more students’ artwork than previous events, but will allow for more variety. 
   “Our theme will be ‘treasures,’ so we’ll be talking about natural treasures by making art out of recycled paper, and focusing on how children’s artwork is a treasure,” said Walther. 
   Likewise, Seipel is excited to expand the students’ musical repertoire.
   “We’ll be doing some Orff pieces, where every student will be playing a xylophone, and some drumming pieces.  This would never have been possible before — there wasn’t room for all of the instruments,” she said. In addition, she mentioned that fourth-graders learning to play the recorder are much more accomplished in the spring than they are in December.
   In order for “A Night of the Arts” to be successful, kindergarten and first-grade art teacher Tom Burgraff and music teacher John Artisensi said they had to get everyone on board. A letter was sent home to parents explaining the change, and they had to present the idea to the school board and superintendent to garner extra funds for the shows, which will happen outside of the school day.
   So far, the response has been mixed. Seipel said they have encountered some disappointment among parents, and she understands why people will miss the old program.
   “There is something magical and joyous about hearing children sing at Christmastime,” she said. Still, the teachers are optimistic.
   “We think a change of pace will benefit the students and the school,” said Burgraff.  
   But the teachers are not calling it a new tradition just yet. At the end of the school year, parents will be able to voice their feedback on this one-year pilot program. Only then will they decide what kind of program will proceed next year.
   Burgraff and Artisensi invite all members of the community to attend these smaller, more intimate events.
   “Now that you don’t have to arrive an hour early just to find parking, or take off work months in advance, we hope more people will attend,” said Artisensi. “We hope it exceeds their expectations tenfold.”