T he weather outside may have been frightful Thursday and Friday, but the sounds coming from the Andalusia Elementary School gym were delightful.

Bright and early Friday morning, students in the second through fifth grades put on their annual Christmas music programs, rescheduled because of Thursday’s inclement weather. Kindergarteners and first graders performed before the storms hit.

It took months of careful – and creative – planning to make the performances a success. In charge was music teacher Joy Sowards.

“I started talking to the children about the program in October and let them hear the songs I that selected for their classes to sing,” Sowards said. “We sang bits and pieces of the songs throughout October and November, but of course we save time for Halloween and Thanksgiving songs!

“After Thanksgiving, we put everything together and work solely on Christmas program music,” she said.

Sowards said the week of the program, two rehearsals are held: one in the music room and one on stage.

“The children work very hard and are usually very excited to perform for their parents,” she said.