By Scott Wong

When she was 5, Mary Anne James would sit under the piano and watch her father’s feet press down on the pedals as he played.

“I would tell him, ‘Now, daddy, play this. Now, daddy, play that,’” she said.

Fifty years later, the Los Altos resident is still directing musicians, but it’s a new generation following her lead.

James led 20 members of the Bullis-Purissima School Daybreakers choir — ranging from second- to sixth- graders — in the 25th annual Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Sunday night.

The thousands who lined the sidewalks along State and Main streets were the biggest audience yet for the elementary school choir, which practices twice a week for 40 minutes before the first school bell rings.

James, in her fifth year directing the student choir, said the children make it easy for her to wake up early for rehearsals.

“They make it worth it for me to get up in the morning — to see this enthusiasm and zeal,” she said.

Although the 155-member Mountain View High School Spartan Marching Band — the largest parade entry — close on the Daybreakers’ heels, nearly drowned out their angelic voices with their bevy of horns, drums and stomping feet, the Daybreakers continued to sing their hearts out steadfastly until the parade’s end.

For the festival performance, James selected three nonreligious holiday songs, including a rock version of “Santa is the Man” and “Elves Workout.”

“I think the kids should know that I’m not specializing in any one particular holiday,” she said. “I try to make this as secular as I can but it’s hard to do music without having some spiritual thoughts to it.”

For spectators, “early bird gets the worm” was the order of the day as many said they were lucky to even find curb seats along the parade route by midmorning Sunday.

San Jose resident Trish Leeper said her family came to reserve a spot on MainStreet. at 10:15 a.m. only to find most of the sidewalks had already been reserved with blankets, chairs and even chalk markings.

Parade organizer Brown Taylor said by the time he arrived at 9 a.m. to set up, most curbside seats had been reserved.

For the most part, though, Taylor said the parade was business as usual.

Clowns and children danced, Menlo Park fire fighters high-fived onlookers, and Siberian huskies pulled sleighs.

And there were lights.

Thousands of festival lights adorned most of the 62 parade entries this year. There were lights on floats, lights on cars and lights wrapped around the bodies of parade participants. There were white lights, colored lights and blinking lights.

And there was music.

Five high school bands played holiday tunes, a disc jockey scratched rap records on moving turntables; and, of course, there was the faint angelic sound of children singing.

Music and singing, according to James who joined her first choir at the age of 3 and could sing second-part harmony at 8, is an integral part of a child’s development.

“If you don’t tell (the students) they can’t do something, they don’t know they can’t do it,” said James, who also directs the choir at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in San Jose.

In the eyes of many of her students, James is not just a music teacher but also a role model.

Said 10 year-old Daybreaker Sarina Bhandari: “Mrs. James gives us a lot of attention and help and a lot of great songs to sing.”

Indu Kadambi, whose daughter Akila sings with Daybreakers, said the lessons these children learn from the choir extend beyond music. Just a few weeks ago, the choir had the opportunity to sing in front of seniors who attended a Los Altos recreation center luncheon.

“The children learn what it is to give and to receive,” Kadambi said.

James said oftentimes she’ll come across a student in a classroom who is struggling academically and possesses low self-esteem.

“But sometimes that very same child is a talented musician … and has a chance to be at the top of the heap,” she said. “I find that very gratifying — to provide that arena and theater for children who deserve a chance to shine.”

Note: The Daybreakers will hold a free Winter Concert at 7 p.m., Dec. 13, at Foothills Congregational Church, located on Orange Ave. in Los Altos. For more information, call Mary Anne James at 969-2341.