The Rocky Mount Academy Holiday Concert is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Students young and old come together to put on a special performance for parents, friends, and family that celebrates this wonderful season of giving. This year’s was especially memorable because it was Mr. Shawn Leonard’s first show at RMA.

The show began with some witty banter between Riley Bowles and Lottie Parker, the program’s narrators. They introduced the first performance of the night, the pre-kindergarteners singing “Ten Little Angels”.  They were then joined by the kindergarteners for an adorable rendition of “Jingle Bells”. The kindergarteners followed this with “Here Comes Santa Claus”, which ended with a special appearance from Old Saint Nick himself. The youngest performers were followed by the first solo of the night, Baileigh James accompanied by Matthew Young.  Seniors Baileigh and Matthew performed a Christmas favorite, “Mary Did You Know?”  The solo was followed Nyla Green singing acoustic version of “Jingle Bell Rock”, accompanied by Mr. Leonard on the ukulele, a trend that carried through to the next performance by the seventh grade ensemble as they performed “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”. The ukulele group was followed by the middle and upper school chorus performing “Carol of the Bells”, “An Elvis Medley”, and “The Christmas Song”.

Now it was time for the night’s main event: the show by the first through fifth grade.

After the success of last year’s innovative Piñataville, Mrs. Braswell, the lower school music teacher, decided to stick to the theme of Holiday Concerts that not only showcase musical ability, but also tell and story and convey a positive message.   This dynamic approach has been widely praised by students, parents, and faculty as it is a nice change from the traditional formatting of past years.

This year, the show finished with the lower school’s performance of The Elves’ Impersonator. This mini musical told the story of Elfis (Cooper Ams), an estranged elf. Santa’s other elves isolate Elfis because he does not act like or resemble the rest of his peers. After the elves tease Elfis, he decides to leave the North Pole. Santa (Connor Evans) and Mrs. Claus (Shelton Honey) come looking for him in the elves’ workshop where they learn of the elves’ cruelty. The Claus’ and their reindeer teach the elves a valuable lesson – that one cannot judge a person because of the way they look or because they are different. After this, the elves find Elfis and bring him back to their workshop where they make amends and befriend him. The show ended with a special appearance from the king himself, Elvis Presley (with a V), played by Trey Braswell. “Elvis” led the audience in “White Christmas” to finish a Holiday Concert that will not be easily forgotten by all those who attended.

The deadline to order a DVD of this year’s Holiday Concert is tomorrow, December 17, 2014.  Complete the online order form emailed last week or fill out a hard copy at the front office to reserve yours today!